"...It is according to faith that miracles are wrought..." (Moroni 7:37)

There are a lot of things that people fear: fear of heights, fear of death, fear of the dark, just to name a few. When I was little I would have a reoccurring dream of the world being on fire and my family could fly and I couldn't. It was a terrible nightmare that I would have a lot. I feared having it. Fear is an interesting thing that effects our body. It is a natural response that takes place when we feel threatened or when we are put in a stressful situation. Fear isn't all bad. It helps to protect us from danger and helps that natural response kick in to run when we need to get out of somewhere. Fear can protect us from danger, but fear is a reaction to things that are around us or sometimes in us, such as our thoughts and not true protection. We need to learn how to control our fear and rely upon something more powerful and stronger than fear for protection. Something so powerful when developed and used properly it can move mountains ( see Ether 12:30), if needed we could have children when told it isn't possible (see Hebrews 11:11) , and or even be translated (see Hebrews 11:5). The power of faith is more powerful than fear.

But in our world where the impossible is made to seem possible, like in the movies when the not so great guy is able to don stretchy pants, a cape, and get some super powers (miraculously) and fly around the world, or skip around the city and save every one by beating them up, all the while he can drink all the alcohol he wants and sleep with all the women he wants. And he has all the money he could want by breaking every commandment including, but not limited to: lying, cheating, getting even, stealing. This isn't power at all. This is fake. This is what we should fear, but we look at it as entertainment and think nothing of it as our children watch, believing (or perhaps wishing) that life should be handed to them on a platter with no consequences...kind of hard to swallow even as I type this.

Real power comes from faith in Jesus Christ and must be based "upon correct knowledge or it cannot produce the desired results. Faith in Jesus Christ is the first principle of the gospel and is more than belief, since true faith always moves its possessor to some kind of physical and mental action; it carries an assurance of the fulfillment of the things hoped for. A lack of faith (or fear) leads one to despair, which comes because of iniquity (sin or unrighteousness)" (Bible Dictionary). This is real power! If we want to have the kind of power that will change our life, we must go to the real source of All Power. And this is Jesus Christ.

Okay, if faith is more powerful than fear, why is it that we seem to fall back on fear so much? We have "fears" that creep into our lives or things happen and we react out of fear. But, we don't have to react out of fear. It is getting to the point that we don't react out of fear, but act in faith that the Lord wants to bring us to. It is a process of growing and learning. He says: "Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not" (D&C 6:36). Having the Savior be a part of every thought...that is really what He wants for us. He wants us to be one with Him (John 17:21). That is why He comfortingly tells us, "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness" (Isaiah 41:10). That's powerful stuff. If we want this power, then we need to believe in Him, and we need to start somewhere, we must have "faith to believe" and He will start working in our lives and miracles will take place (see Alma 37:40).

In today's world we are always wanting miracles to happen. And "it is according to faith that miracles are wrought" (Moroni 7:37). Miracles cease "if there be no faith among the children of God" (Ether 12:12). There are miracles of healing, protection, and powers greater than man. But the "greater miracle is a mighty change of heart by a son or daughter of God (see Mosiah 5:2). A change of heart, including new attitudes, priorities, and desires, is greater and more important than any miracle involving the body." (Elder Dallin H. Oaks). The miracle of a changed heart, a person whose "heart is changed through faith on [Christ]; therefore, [they] have been "born of  him"(Mosiah 5:7) is a miracle that effects eternity. Faith in Christ is more powerful than fear. This miracle, a changed heart and being born of Christ, can take place every day as "tender mercies...because of [our] faith, to make [us] mighty even unto the power of deliverance" (1 Nephi 1:20). 

Christ is with us as we exercise our faith in Him and we have nothing to fear. He says: "Fear not, little children, for you are mine, and I have overcome the world." (D&C 50:41). We get to choose faith over fear. This I testify has the power to work miracles in our lives. This will change eternity.

 "Choose faith over doubt, 

choose faith over fear, 

choose faith over the unknown and the unseen, 

and choose faith over pessimism."

~Elder Richard C. Edgley

I know that [God] loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things." (1 Nephi 11:17)

Some days just don't go as planned. I have an agenda all laid out and it doesn't go at all like I planned. Sometimes I am able to go with it and be just fine, and others, for whatever reason...I can't. On those days that I can't seem to let it go, at the end of the day I realize that it did me no good to fret over it all, but things work out, or will work out, I don't know how, and maybe not when or how I think they will, but they will work out. Most often, it isn't the big stuff that causes me the most stress, but it is the little things that seem to needle their way into the agenda I had all laid out. What is up with that, I ask?

And then today, this thought came into my mind: "...lean not unto thine own understanding." I had to think about that one, seriously. All too often I want to be the one to know where I am going, I like to read the road map when we are in a new city, I like to know where I am and where I am headed. I don't mind having an adventure, but for some reason, I like to know how I am getting there. So, when I was walking today and this thought came to me, and I couldn't think of the scripture reference off the top of my head I knew that I needed to let things go. I knew that there was a lot that I don't understand, A LOT. I needed to go home and look this one up.

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; 

and lean not unto thine own understanding." 

(Proverbs 3:5)

Trust in Him with all my heart, not just some of it, but all of it. The Lord has "not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (2 Tim.1:7). When things don't go the way we think they should, even when they are righteous desires, it doesn't mean we aren't headed in the right direction. Sometimes, our agenda needs to be tweaked, and that's okay. That's not a bad thing. God does give us the spirit of love and of power and of a sound mind...not a frenzied mind, a mind that is all over the place trying to make sure we have all of our bases covered or that our agenda is totally in place. The key is to make sure our agenda is God's agenda. And sometimes, what was once the correct agenda, like having a certain number of children, which is a righteous desire and in line with God's idea's, but perhaps, has become my agenda, God's agenda has now changed for me. (That happened to me.) It's hard to discern when those changes take place. But it sometimes happens and it takes faith to continue forward amidst those changes.

One of my favorite scriptures is in 1 Nephi 11, it says: "I know that [God] loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things"(vs. 17). I don't have the answers to all the problems in the world or even pretend to begin to understand them. Everyone suffers...big and small. The depths of sorrow is great. But God totally understands our sorrows, our worries, our stresses, our messed up plans. How? Because "God loved us and He sent His Son! (1 John 4:10) How we choose to respond to our suffering or messed up plans, is up to us. Will we trust in the Lord with all our heart, and lean not unto our own understanding? 

On those days or weeks or months or years that don't go as planned, "Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved" (Psalms 55:22). "[He] will strengthen thee; yea, [He] will help thee; uphold thee with the right hand of [His] righteousness" (Isaiah 41:10). He will make our burdens lighter so that we can bear them (see Mosiah 24:15) because He loves us and wants us to succeed. "For He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee" (Hebrews 13:5).

I wish I could express this in more explicit words, more poetic words, but there are only the simple and pure words that are true...our Savior Jesus Christ, and our Heavenly Father love us. I don't know the meaning of all things, but this I do know, This I Testify, God loves us, He loves His children! And you are His child.

Feel His Love, it surrounds you. 

"Wherefore, stand ye in holy places, and be not moved." D&C 87:8

Being tall has its advantages. In a crowd I can see over the heads of people and I can spot my family members easily. I can see people I am looking for or avoid people as well. I can also stand firmly in one spot and people will generally walk around me or if they bump in to me, they apologize. I also stand out in a crowd. Through out my life I have often heard the remark, "Wow, she is tall." A lot of people have just simply stared at me. I have often wondered what those people are thinking, the ones that just stare and make no comment. I always hope that I portray what I believe, that I stand tall and proud to be who I am, a daughter of God.

Standing is something that has stood out (no pun intended) to me lately. The Young Women's motto is "Stand for Truth and Righteousness." Stand, not sit, for truth and righteousness. I have wondered why "stand" is chosen in the scriptures. To "stand...having your loins girt about with truth" (Ephesians 6:4, D&C 27:16); "Stand in awe, and sin not" (Psalms 4:4); "But my disciples shall stand in holy places, and shall not be moved" (D&C 45:32); "Stand ye in holy places, and be not moved, until the day of the Lord come" (D&C 87:8). The reason we must stand is because it is a position of courage, and strength. It is to remain firm in the face of war, and we are at war. "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Ephesians 6:12). We can't afford to sit around and waste our time watching TV, shopping for frivolous items that are of no value, surfing the Internet for things that mean nothing, texting and not talking with people, and many other time-wasters because we need to STAND. Now, not that those things are bad, but if we don't have a balance, we will stumble or even worse, fall. Make a stand in your life and make time for God. Pray. Read and ponder the scriptures. Remember Christ daily. Just as our bodies need food to stand for all that it requires, our spirits need to be fed to endure the battle we are in against the "rulers of the darkness of this world" (Ephesians 6:12).

President Monson, in General Conference said: "We must be vigilant in a world which has moved so far from that which is spiritual. It is essential that we reject anything that does not conform to our standards, refusing in the process to surrender that which we desire most: eternal life in the kingdom of God" (Oct. 2011 address). President Monson used the word standards. Standards "akin to old English- standan to stand and probably to Old High German hart hard" (Merriam-Webster). Standing is hard at times. Especially when we are left standing alone. It can be really lonely. But I testify, we are never alone and we need not fear to stand. "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I: am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness" (Isaiah 41:10).

I find it interesting that President Monson, the Lord's prophet for our day, in two of his addresses this past General Conference, his topic was "standing", Dare to Stand Alone addressed to the Priesthood, and Stand in Holy Places. Our prophet is calling us to recommit ourselves to the Lord's army. "Communication with our Father in Heaven-including our prayers to Him and His inspiration to us- is necessary in order for us to weather the storms and trials of life." (Stand in Holy Places) The Apostle Paul wrote: "Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ...Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart" (2 Timothy 2:3, 22)

Ask yourself, "what do I need to stand for today?" "Do I stand for Christ in all I do and say?" If we are looking at, reading, watching material that is not something we would want to share with Christ, then we have chosen to sit down, we have lowered our standards. "Who is on the Lord's side?" (Exodus 32:26) Let's do the hard thing and stand, raise the bar and "stand for truth and righteousness." Stand for and with Christ. Standing will changes your perspective and your view. "To stand" is the way "the enemy shall not overcome" (D&C 38:9). This I testify.