Richard G. Scott, “The Sustaining Power of Faith in Times of Uncertainty and Testing”, April 2003, Sunday Morning Session, General Conference
“God has given us the capacity to exercise faith, that we may find peace, joy, and purpose in life. However, to employ its power, faith must be founded on something. There is no more solid foundation than faith in the love Heavenly Father has for you, faith in His plan of happiness, and faith in the capacity and willingness of Jesus Christ to fulfill all of His promises.”
Henry B. Eyring, "Spiritual Preparedness: Start Early and Be Steady," Ensign, Nov. 2005
“However much faith to obey God we now have, we will need to strengthen it continually and keep it refreshed constantly. We can do that by deciding now to be more quick to obey and more determined to endure. Learning to start early and to be steady are the keys to spiritual preparation. Procrastination and inconsistency are its mortal enemies.”
President Boyd K. Packer Ensign, May 2003
“Keep the fire of your testimony of the restored gospel and your witness of our Redeemer burning so brightly that our children can warm their hands by the fire of your faith.”
Robert D Hales, "Finding Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ", November 2004 Ensign
“When the challenges of mortality come, and they come for all of us, it may seem hard to have faith and hard to believe. At these times only faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His Atonement can bring us peace, hope, and understanding. Only faith that He suffered for our sakes will give us the strength to endure to the end. When we gain this faith, we experience a mighty change of heart, and like Enos, we become stronger and begin to feel a desire for the welfare of our brothers and sisters. We pray for them, that they too will be lifted and strengthened through faith on the Atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ.”
Joseph B. Wirthlin, "Shall He Find Faith on the Earth?", Ensign November 2002
“Truly understood and properly practiced, faith is one of the grand and glorious powers of eternity. It is a force powerful beyond our comprehension. "Through faith … the worlds were framed by the word of God." Through faith, waters are parted, the sick healed, the wicked silenced, and salvation made possible. Our faith is the foundation upon which all our spiritual lives rest. It should be the most important resource of our lives. Faith is not so much something we believe; faith is something we live.”
Neil L. Andersen, "You Know Enough", Ensign, Nov 2008
“Challenges, difficulties, questions, doubts-these are part of our mortality. But we are not alone. As disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, we have enormous spiritual reservoirs of light and truth available to us. Fear and faith cannot coexist in our hearts at the same time. In our days of difficulty, we choose the road of faith.”
David A. Bednar, "Ask in Faith", Ensign, May 2008
“True faith is focused in and on the Lord Jesus Christ and always leads to righteous action. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that "faith is the first principle in revealed religion, and the foundation of all righteousness" and that it is also "the principle of action in all intelligent beings". Action alone is not faith in the Savior, but acting in accordance with correct principles is a central component of faith. Thus, faith without works is dead.”
Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Precious Fruits of the First Vision", Liahona, Feb 2009
“As we remember and honor the Prophet Joseph Smith, my heart reaches out to him in gratitude. He was a good, honest, humble, intelligent, and courageous young man with a heart of gold and an unshaken faith in God. He had integrity. In response to his humble prayer, the heavens opened again. Joseph Smith had actually seen a vision. He knew it, and he knew that God knew it, and he could not deny it (see Joseph Smith-History 1:25). Through his work and sacrifice, I now have a true understanding of our Heavenly Father and His Son, our Redeemer and Savior, Jesus Christ, and I can feel the power of the Holy Ghost and know of Heavenly Father's plan for us, His children. For me, these are truly the fruits of the First Vision.”
Thomas S. Monson, "Great Expectations", CES Fireside January 2009
“Faith implies a certain trust, even a reliance, upon the word of our Creator. If you should have doubting thoughts, remember the counsel given by President Stephen L. Richards, a former counselor in the First Presidency, who declared: "Just say to those skeptical, disturbing, rebellious thoughts, 'I propose to stay with my faith, with the faith of my people. I know that happiness and contentment are there and I forbid you, agnostic, doubting thoughts, to destroy the house of my faith. I acknowledge that I do not understand the processes of creation, but I accept the fact of it. I grant that I cannot explain the miracles of the Bible, and I do not attempt to do so, but I accept God's word. I wasn't with Joseph, but I believe him. My faith did not come to me through science and I will not permit science to destroy it.”
M. Russell Ballard, "You Have Nothing to Fear from the Journey", Ensign, May 1997
“No matter how difficult the trail, and regardless of how heavy our load, we can take comfort in knowing that others before us have borne life's most grievous trials and tragedies by looking to heaven for peace, comfort, and hopeful assurance. We can know as they knew that God is our Father, that He cares about us individually and collectively, and that as long as we continue to exercise our faith and trust in Him there is nothing to fear in the journey.”
Personal Statement:
I know that Faith is the first thing we must have because it is the first principle of the Gospel. If we don’t have faith, we will not repent, be baptized, receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost or endure to the end. Without faith, God cannot make miracles happen in our lives. With faith, we will endure any hardship that we have knowing that good will come from it. Having faith means that we will receive a reward for all the hard work that we have done in this life. Faith in Jesus Christ is the most important thing we must know and learn. By knowing this, we know that we can be forgiven of our sins and that we can return to live with our Heavenly Father once again. When we exercise faith, we will not be comfortable. For if we were always comfortable, we would never learn anything. Faith comes first in the Gospel for a reason.
