The Works of Faith

I love to read the scriptures. I learn so much everytime I read. They teach me so much about me that I didnt know and they also help me become a better person by teaching me the way I should be.
I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and I know that it is the true church. I have asked of God, like in James 1:5, seeking an answer and I KNOW that this is the true and only true church on the face of the earth. I am so blessed to have the scriptures to teach me such wonderful things.
I am the go to girl with my friends. They come to me with their problems and I always try to help them. Sometimes I just dont have any more adivise left to give them and I dont know how to help them but tell them to pray. But I have been forgetting the true meaning of them praying.
You can ask for something all you want, as many times as you, for as long as you want, but you will never get what you want unless you have faith that Heavenly Father will bless you with that in which you are asking of.
I LOVE Ether 12. There is so much in that chapter that if you read, TRUELY READ it, you will find so much in there to learn.
We all know the quote "fath without works is dead" but do we truely understand it? "by faith ALL things are fulfilled" that line from verse 3 bring comfort to my werry heart. It is through my faith in the Lord that I am blessed, though everyones faith that they are blessed. It is not by mindlessly doning that we are supposed to be doing, but by truely believing in that which we are doing. That in which we need to be is someone who in all times is standing strong with the HOPE that what we are doing is sufficent enough to that of which the Lord is asking of us. "hope cometh of faith" in verse 4 that is stated. I havent really ever understood the hope and faith connection, but I know that you cannot have one with out the other. How can you have faith in something but not hope for it or vise versa. Because I hope to so strongly that evertyhing money wise in my life will work out, I have faith the the Lord will provide the way for me.
On of the greatest verses in chapter 12 is 6. "dispute not because ye see not, for ye recive no whitness until after the trial of your faith" The answer to what you seek will not just pop right out of the place after you ask for it. But we are all tested thoughout our lives. I know for a fact that my faith is tested constently. I think one of the biggest things that people struggle with today is praying and not getting the answer and starting to lose faith in the Lord becuase he is not helping. Where is their faith? their hope? Some say that they have it but will not go though the work to recive it.
"Thou workest unto the children of mn according to their faith"
1. When we pray for something we have to know what it is we are asking for. Options arent and opption for Heavenly Father. 2. We have to express the faith in him to help and guide us through what we need in out lives. 3. We need to have hope in the blessings that we are asking for.
That is just barely getting under the skin of what I learned just from that one chapter. I encourage all you to read the chapter .. REALLY READ it. Even if you are not a member to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, please just read the chapter, I promise it isnt anything that you would be learning about in your church. It is purley of faith. Here is link to the websight were the chapter is. http://scriptures.lds.org/en/ether/12


<3 Erin Christina