Strengthening our Faith

While I've been reading the scriptures I've found that there are many different ways that we can strengthen our faith, and there are some things that can hinder and harm our faith and our spiritual sensitivity. In a very basic sense, when we do what is right we come closer to God. When we choose to sin, we fall further away from Him.

I love the prophet Alma's explanation of faith and how it can grow. He compares the word to a seed.
If we plant the seed, we will see it begin to grow. It doesn't grow into a perfect knowledge all at once,  but it starts to enlighten our minds, and then we can know that the seed is good. So to see the seed grow, or rather, to strengthen our faith we need to plant the seed! Alma challenges us to experiment on his words. To test what he has taught the people, and to see if it really is the truth.

Whenever God gives us a commandment, he will always associate a blessing with that commandment. If we do what he asks, he'll give us what he has promised. In order to develop a faith, or a confidence in the promises of God, we need to try it and experiment. Faith is like a seed. When we plant it, it will grow. When I teach people about the God, and the Book of Mormon, I always put a lot of emphasis on the promise in Moroni 10:3-5.  

3 Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.

4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.

I would like to encourage everyone who reads my blog to take this test. To see if you can't gain a confidence in the promises of God, whether you are a member of the LDS Church or not. I have taken the challenge extended by the Book of Mormon prophets, and i can promise you that this record is the word of God.