Monday, September 23, 2013

A Great Faith by Fred Greene

I received the 2000 StrongVoice Newsletter yesterday, and was moved and inspired by it's message. I wanted to share part of it with you today.

 A Great Faith
By: Fred Greene
 
"The tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom He hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance." [1 Nephi 1:23]
         
Paul told us that "God has dealt to each one a measure of faith."[Romans 12:3]
        
The first object of our faith... is belief in God and Jesus Christ: “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me." [John 14:1], which is followed by belief in their words and works.
 
However.... our Heavenly Father expects us to take that measure of faith He has given to each of us... and nurture it through study, prayer and service... in order for it to become a powerful moving force in our lives... and a witness to the world. Remembering the Parable of the Talents, we know that God expects His gifts to be multiplied. The main purpose of priesthood in the Restoration Movement.... is to feed His Sheep with faith nurturing substance... in order to increase that faith.
 
Thus His Sheep will understand that they cannot rely or follow the arm of flesh... but only the one Shepherd; Jesus Christ. Done properly and completely... by faith, all blessings will occur... and by faith, all things can be accomplished. It has been impressed upon me that the Lord is calling His people to begin building a Great Faith. I believe that the times we live in now - and in the near future - will demand of us a higher level of faith than we possess. An elevated level of faith will enable us to experience blessings in the midst of great tempests, purpose in lieu of fear, and opportunities for service in the midst of human commotion. It will call for us to trust God's will beyond what we have ever experienced before. The Scriptures give this kind of faith a name - it is called a Great Faith... and this is what will be required of us in the foreseeable future.
    
Joseph Smith described this kind of increased faith as having "power,
dominion, and authority over all things." [Lectures on Faith 1:24]... such is a Great Faith. What is a Great Faith? One having "power, dominion, and authority over all things." A Great Faith consists of at least four types of specific faith:
Obedient Faith
Courageous Faith
Trusting Faith
Experienced Faith
 
We need some of each of these types of faith in order to possess a Great Faith... one needed now, and for the future. 
 
 
 
For more great messages from the 2000 StrongVoice Newsletter, click HERE. Visit http://www.2000strong.us/ for more information on their ministry.

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