Choose to Believe

 In this episode, I reflect on President Russell M. Nelson's advice to choose to believe in Jesus Christ despite doubts or challenges. I share my personal experiences growing up in the gospel, the trials my faith has faced, and how I have strengthened my testimony. From overcoming doubts with the help of faithful sources to understanding Satan's tactics, I provide insights and strategies to help others fortify their faith. Tune in for a heartwarming discussion on maintaining a testimony through study, prayer, and choosing to follow Christ.

Links:
@amberdawnpearce

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References:
"Christ is risen; faith in Him will move mountains" Russell M Nelson

JS- Mattthew 1: 22 & 37

The Power of Spiritual Momentum By President Russell M. Nelson

2 Nephi 28
Moroni 7:19
Mormon 9
Jacob 7:4
1 Corinthians 2:14
James 1:8
3 Nephi 18:11-13
Psalms 1:1-3
Be One with Christ By Elder Quentin L. Cook

00:00 Introduction and Opening Message
00:43 Meet Your Host: Amber Pearce
02:08 Personal Testimony and Early Experiences
05:20 Facing Doubts and Strengthening Faith
09:50 The Importance of Genuine Doctrine
11:48 Recognizing and Resisting Satan's Tactics
15:47 Personal Encounters with Anti-Information
22:54 Seeking Truth and Spiritual Confirmation
28:12 The Power of Basic Gospel Principles
32:40 Final Thoughts and Encouragement

Transcript

Amber: 0:00

President Russell M. Nelson said, Choose to believe in Jesus Christ. If you have doubts about God, the Father, and his beloved Son, or the validity of the Restoration, or the veracity of Joseph Smith's divine calling as a prophet, choose to believe and stay faithful. Take your questions to the Lord and to other faithful sources. Study with the desire to believe rather than with the hope that you can find a flaw in the fabric of a prophet's life or a discrepancy in the scriptures. Stop increasing your doubts by rehearsing them with other doubters. Allow the Lord to lead you on your journey of spiritual discovery. Welcome, I am your host, Amber Pearce. You can also find me@amberdawnpearce on all social media platforms. I actually started sharing my testimony of Christ first on social media, and I guess I had too much to say, because now I have a podcast and YouTube channel, and I'm so grateful that you're here, and I truly hope that we can grow in the gospel together. This episode has been a couple months in the making, so I'm very excited to finally be recording it. But before we jump in, Can I share something with you that I am incredibly grateful for, that my family uses on a daily basis? Thrive Life freeze dried food has been in my pantry for almost 15 years now, and is hands down the best quality freeze dried food out there. It has a 25 year shelf life, and because of their monthly delivery service, they've made building up a food supply easy instead of costly. Overwhelming. So go to amber. thrivelife. com and set up your delivery to get 15 percent off retail and free shipping on orders of 100 or more. All proceeds support the Hope Smiling Brightly charity. Okay. Are you ready? You are listening to Hope Smiling Brightly with Amber Dawn Pearce. Episode number 10, choose to beleive. From a very young age, I had a testimony of the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ, its power to lift, to change, to inspire us to be better, to do better. My parents were always very open about their experiences without the gospel in their lives and how turning to the gospel helped them overcome addiction and completely turn their lives around. I remember as a little girl, my dad explaining to me what the Holy Spirit felt like and his experience in walking away from the church and being completely devoid of the Holy Spirit, not even remembering or noticing that it was no longer there. Until years later, he walked back through those chapel doors and was overcome with a feeling of love and peace and remembrance of how this used to feel. And he said in that moment, he remembered what it was like to be completely without the spirit and what it felt to be filled with it. And he never wanted to be without the Holy Spirit again. He made a choice in that moment and he never turned away. The testimonies of my parents strengthened my own testimony. And I even remember the first time I had courage to get up and bear my testimony in front of the entire congregation. We had just moved from a ward in Bernalillo, New Mexico to a small branch in Moriarty, New Mexico. And I thought it was interesting. And actually, it kind of bugged me that every Fast and Testimony meeting, Someone would say something to the effect of, I know this is the only true church on the face of the earth. And I was like, wait, my church in Bernalillo was true too. And I started getting really frustrated that people kept saying this. And I wanted to set them straight. So it took me a few months, but I finally decided. This one fast and testimony meeting, I was going to get up and let everyone in that congregation know that I knew that this church was true in Moriarty, but I also knew that the church in Bernalillo was true as well. And they needed to know that. Thankfully, I told my mother of my intentions before I got up. I was only six years old at this time. So. That poor congregation was saved from being chastised by a six year old. But I still got up anyway that day and was grateful to understand that when someone said that, they were referring to every congregation, the church as a whole. And truly, I have been bearing my testimony of the truthfulness of this gospel ever since. Though, there have been moments of questioning, doubting, discouragement But I think that's part of the beautiful process of growing a testimony. Shortly after that time that I bore my first testimony ever, I remember laying on the couch in the living room, looking up at the ceiling when the thought occurred to me, what if none of this is true? What if I die and find out? I was completely wrong and it started to really distress me. My mom walked in the room and noticed that distressed look on my face and asked me if I was okay. And so I asked her, Mom, what if we are wrong? What if none of this is true? And I love the way that she responded. She stayed completely calm. And just bore witness to me that the Holy Spirit had let her know of the truthfulness of this gospel. And that if I was patient and I would seek, I could learn from myself as well. And in that moment started that desire within me to have my own firm testimony of every truth of the gospel. Fast forward a couple years to another touchpoint in my testimony. I was sitting in one of those small cramped primary rooms, staring at the beautiful orange carpet that matched our orange plastic chairs. And I remember My teacher, quoting a scripture from Joseph Smith, Matthew, verse 22. For in those days, there shall also arise false Christs and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders, insomuch that if possible, they shall deceive the very elect, who are the elect, according to the covenant. My teacher explained what this verse was saying, that some of the most faithful members of our church in the last days would lose their faith and walk away. I started to think about the people that I knew and loved that had strong testimonies that were examples to me, and it blew my mind. It brought deep shock and sadness that anyone would walk away from the gospel. And right after that thought came the thought, Wait, what if it's me? What if I am one of those people who will lose their faith? it was the thought right after that, I feel was written in my soul that day. With conviction, I said to myself, I I will not be one of those who is deceived, But holding to that decision didn't come easy. I had to work in my effort to become unshaken in the gospel. And so, where do we start? That choice to believe and the determination to discern counterfeit was tested many times in my life. So today, rather than addressing specific topics that might shake one's faith, I want to share with you some general principles that have saved and strengthened my testimony and that I hope will help you or a loved one who is struggling. It wasn't until later in life when I was at risk of this very deception that I recognized the solution. In fact, it was just a few verses below that one verse in Joseph Smith Matthew. It was verse 37 and it says, and whoso treasureth up my word shall not be decieved as I read that, you can't help but ponder, what am I treasuring up? I'm embarrassed to say that as a young mother, I definitely spent more time watching my favorite talk show host than studying the scriptures. And I know that I quoted her more than the scriptures. I think I even quoted her in Relief Society, which is really embarrassing. Baby steps, right? But really, why is it so important to evaluate ourselves and to make sure it's the word of God that we are treasuring up in our lives. President Nelson has said that one of our greatest challenges today is distinguishing between the truths of God and the counterfeits of Satan, And there is something really neat about how federal agents detect counterfeit money that we can learn from. John F. MacArthur, Said that federal agents don't learn to spot counterfeit money by studying the counterfeits They study genuine bills until they master the look of the real thing Then when they see the bogus money, they recognize it. Close quote. It is not helpful and has proven hurtful to study any any counterfeit doctrine. If your quest is to discover truth, mastering the look of the real thing is even a method that is taught in the scriptures. As we are told, we should search diligently in the light of Christ that ye may know good from evil. And just like counterfeit money, counterfeit doctrine can seem to be of great value, but in reality, it's absolutely worthless. The word of God through the scriptures and his chosen servants are genuine and priceless. Study and master them. Instead of consuming the doctrine of man, if you want to feast upon that which perisheth not, neither can be corrupted, and let your soul delight in the real thing. Only then can you be confident that you will recognize bogus doctrine. When you see it and the prophet advised us, when you distinguish a counterfeit cast Satan out, don't forget that power you have, and don't wait until you are feeling overcome by that power to dismiss Satan. I love that as we are treasuring up the word of God, we can also learn right there in the scriptures what Satan's tactics are. And if we are to stay strong, it is important to be honest with ourselves as we learn of Satan's tactics. Are we falling for any of them? It's important that we study these things and know Satan's tactics. Inside and out so that when he does attack, we will recognize it is him. Second Nephi chapter 28 is a fantastic chapter that reveals the entire battle plan. In these verses, we learn that Satan will cause people to revile against that which is good, and say it is of no worth. I have heard not only the world, but members of the church try to decrease the importance of temples and covenants, and wearing the temple garment, decrease the importance of the family proclamation. And it also says that at that day, he shall rage in the hearts of children of men, and stir them up to anger against that which is good. Since I've been sharing online, And have come across people who have left the church. It always shocks and saddens me the amount of anger they have towards the church and its members. But that is a red flag. If you are listening to or reading anything that is presented with anger, run away. Verse 21.\ others, he will pacify and lull them away into carnal security. This trend to take a step back from religion. Don't take yourself so seriously, you don't have to follow rules, just do what you feel is right. And others he flattereth away Are we imagining up a convenient God, a God that conforms to how we want to see the world, to how we want to live? Are we listening to ideas that justify sin? You know, that whole you do you, you be you movement? That is flattery. And how does Satan get this message across? They do error because they are taught by the precepts of man. Who are we listening to? Someone that is called of himself, of herself? Or someone that is called of God? Are they taking scripture and twisting it to conform to how they want to live? Are they claiming that they are going to improve? The gospel and the church through these ideas that they're coming up with. Are we listening to ideas founded in gospel doctrine and principles? It is important to be very discerning in what we allow into our minds. There's one more tactic I want to address that is explained in Mormon chapter 9. Satan wants us to imagine up to ourselves a God who is not a God of miracles. Sometimes our faith is shaken but it has nothing to do with the history or the doctrine of the church. But Simply losing trust and faith in God because we feel abandoned. We are so focused on the trial that we weren't protected from or the big miracle that we didn't receive that we fail to see the small miracles, evidences of God's love, and we lose faith entirely. Satan alsoo wants to chip away at our belief in God's power and miracles, because without miracles, the restoration of the gospel could have never happened. There would be nothing to stand on. All right, understanding the tactics of the opponent is the start. But what do we do when we are actually under attack? As a young girl, my best friend was a born again Christian, and I often went to church with her and I loved it. And everyone there was so kind. And they never. question or criticize my faith, but just welcomed me. So when another friend invited me to go to church with her, I thought the experience would be the same. What I didn't know is that she had told her minister that I was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints, and her minister told her all the things that she needed to tell me so that I would know that I was deceived and going to hell. So it was really overwhelming as a 12 year old girl to have someone a little older than me yell at me and tell me how brainwashed I was, and that I didn't truly believe that I was just believing what my parents taught me. She went on and on and on with all these things the minister had told her to tell me, and I sat silent. And finally, when she was done, and through tears, all I could say was, I know that the church is true. You know, at that point, maybe my testimony was leaning on what my parents had told me. But whatever I didn't know, God was going to give me the opportunity to learn for myself. But I was actually surprised at when that opportunity came. My husband had just been called to be the bishop of our ward, and within just a few months of him being called. I started being inundated from sources I was not seeking with anti information. The first experience, I was meeting up with someone I was doing business with in a cafe. And when he learned that I was a member of the church, he started screaming at me in front of everyone. Everyone telling me that I was going to hell because I believed in Joseph Smith. He then proceeded to send me email after email with information against the gospel. I should have deleted those emails, but out of curiosity, I read them. And it was stuff I had never heard before. Right after that, a friend sent me some anti information because I had shared a post on the Family Proclamation on Facebook. And then that same week, I was preparing to give a talk in church, so I went online to find some extra resources and came across a website posing as a website written by a faithful member of the church, and it was anything but. Coming across all this information all at once was, was definitely faith shaking. Now I knew that another one of Satan's tactics is expertly crafted words. I had learned from Sherem in the book of Jacob chapter seven, that there are people that labor diligently, that they might lead away the hearts of the people. Are learned and have a perfect knowledge of the language of the people. Wherefore, he could use much flattery and much power of speech according to the power of the devil. So even though I knew that's what I was reading, I still had questions and things that I needed resolved. So if you ever find yourself in this place, it's important to recognize an attack from Satan for what it is. And use it as an opportunity to strengthen testimony. It was very clear Satan was attacking me. He shouldn't have been so obvious. And because of my covenants with Christ, I knew that I was stronger than his efforts. I have learned that when a doubt on question comes into your mind, don't freak out. There isn't a single topic that I have not grappled with since that initial experience. But each time I knew that I would get through and I knew not only that, I knew that I would end up with a stronger testimony that God would consecrate this doubt, this question for my good. The spirit knows the cracks in our testimony that we don't even see. And it knows how to fill those cracks perfectly. So when that doubt or question comes, just ask. Okay, show me how to strengthen this. And in that process, if you turn to other people, make sure you're turning to people of faith. There was a time where I was trying to understand and strengthen my faith in a certain topic. And as I thought about who I might ask for their wisdom, two people came to my mind. They were two of my hiking buddies. One of them was a sister I ministered to that had left the church. Another was a sister that ministered to me. And part of me kind of wanted to talk to the sister that had left the church, because I knew that she would confirm these unsettled feelings that I had. But I also knew That it wouldn't do any good to my testimony. So I was careful not to bring up that topic with her, but turned to the sister who I knew had strong faith. And what she told me helped resolve my concerns and strengthen my testimony. And as you have that desire and intention to strengthen your faith with people of faith, trust that the Lord is going to put people in your path that can help you shortly after you're being exposed to all this anti information. I was going on a road trip with a friend, and at the last minute, another friend asked if she could get a ride with us. On that drive, we started talking about my experience and some of the things I had come across. And she confided in me That her husband was really struggling in his faith and had been reading all that anti information. And so she had been searching for all the answers to try and help him in his testimony. And so she was able to answer almost every single question I had. I know that the Lord put her in my path when I needed her. The next thing that I learned was that you have to be in truth for the spirit to testify of it. And once the spirit testifies, the spirit trumps all. The prophet has reminded us to give the Lord a fair share of our time. So after reading all this anti information, I was like, okay. What does the other side have to say? And this was when the Joseph Smith papers had just come out on CD and my mom had bought a set. So I decided, okay, maybe I should start there. And I grabbed her CDs when I realized it was 20 hours of listening. I was a little discouraged, but I thought, okay, I have a bunch to clean up. I can do this while I'm organizing my house. So I put in the first CD and in the introduction, before they even went in to the Joseph Smith papers, the author shared his own testimony of the prophet Joseph Smith. And as I listened, the spirit testified to me with surety that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. I turned off the CDs and sat there in gratitude and awe. Yes, I could listen for 20 more hours. But in that moment, I knew that there was No other information about Joseph Smith that I can learn that would strengthen my testimony more. Or, tear my testimony down. I knew what the spirit had testified to me. I did not care what the world had to say about him, good or evil. My testimony was not made up of knowledge that you can find in the footnotes of any book or opinions you can find online. My knowledge was from a source that cannot be denied. And trumps all information, fact or fiction, dive into truth, seek it, give the opportunity for the Holy Spirit to testify of that truth to you. I shared that experience online and, Oh, did I receive a lot of hate and mocking, but that brings me to my next point. If people are laughing at and mocking you, you know, that you are on the right track. I remember driving down the road one time feeling a little sorry for myself for the amount of criticism and hate I was navigating as I shared my faith online. When the thought came into my mind, don't say you want to testify of me, but expect to be spared from the mocking I had to experience. If we want to follow Christ, there's going to be bitter with the sweet, but he drank of that bitter cup so that we could be strengthened. So when people told me that I couldn't trust my feelings, that I was deceived, that that's not how the Spirit works, Trying to convince me that confirmations of the Holy Spirit are just heightened emotion. All I could think of was 1 Corinthians 2, verse 14. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him. Neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned I didn't care what man had to say because your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. So what if you're struggling with other things in the history of the church? It is important to remember that God's ways are not our ways, and his thoughts are not our thoughts. Why are we questioning some things the saints were asked to do in the history of the church? And now, here's something to consider. Did a loving Heavenly Father who sees all know what was coming and knew the saints needed their faith to be tested and strengthened so that they could survive the days ahead? I can't think of anything that would sift the saints and strengthen them more than what they were asked to do as the foundation of the restoration was being laid. Whatever beef you have with history, number one, put it into context. And number two, remember that what the church is today, the beautiful fruits it has miraculously produced. is a direct result of the past you are questioning. God knows what's going on. He is in control. He knows what needs to happen. He knows how to consecrate our feeble efforts for good, and He will guide us to the perfect end. Now if there's questions that you just don't know how to resolve, here's the next thing that helped me. Go back to the basics. Of the gospel. Let me explain. I had been through years of a faith refining process. My testimony had been strengthened in so many ways, which I was grateful for, but it bothered me that still every time. When someone prominent left the church, or when a controversial topic came up, I would start to question my testimony again, and I was so tired of it. But one day I was reading in the same chapter that Joseph Smith read that led to that prayer that changed the world. James 1. If you keep reading, you come to verse 8, where it says, A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. And in that moment, I knew that I was being double minded and that's why I felt this push and pull that was exhausting me. I was done with it. I started praying for Heavenly Father to help me to not be double minded anymore. And during this time, I happened to be going to Education Week at BYU. And there was one particular topic that was really bothering me, and I was hoping to find a class that addressed it, but there wasn't one. So I said a desperate prayer for some sort of answer, some sort of clarity, peace, and went to whatever class I felt guided to. It was in the morning of the last day there that I attended a class and the speaker was talking about personal revelation, when all of a sudden he paused. And when he started speaking again, he went off on a completely different topic. It was the exact same topic I had been praying about. But do you know what he said? He said, I don't know. I don't have all the answers. But I'll tell you what I do know. I know that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God. I know the Book of Mormon is the word of God. I know that this is the restored gospel on the earth today and that Christ leads it. I know that our Savior came to earth and died for us, atoned for our sins. He went back to the basics and as he bore his testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel of the plan of salvation, the spirit bore witness to me and all of a sudden, all the stress and worry over that topic completely left me. I knew that the plan of salvation worked and the things that I didn't have the answers to. God did, and I could trust him. It is the Savior himself that explained the simplicity of his gospel, faith, repentance, baptism, reception of the Holy Ghost. and enduring to the end. He said, if you do these things, ye are built upon my rock, more or less are not built upon my rock. Don't complicate the gospel. God is the contractor and he will build your faith perfectly. If all else fails, focus on your relationship with God. There is a piece of advice that my father gave to all of his children as they were getting married and reminded us of it throughout our marriages. He would always say, don't make the issue more important than the relationship. No matter what questions we have, if we maintain a relationship with Jesus Christ, everything's going to be okay. But sometimes we have a question that we want answered so desperately that we start to hyper focus on that question. When the only thing we should be hyper focused on is our Savior Jesus Christ. So, what if you're listening to this and you're thinking, I'm doing great. My testimony is fine. Let me remind you of what President Nelson said, with frightening speed, a testimony that is not nourished daily by the good word of God, can Crumble. Close quote. We should always be proactively building our testimony with intention. President Nelson also encouraged us to ask ourselves consistently, what reinforcements to your testimony and understanding of the gospel are needed. This is a lifelong journey. Let me tell you one more thing that I learned. Sometimes, answers will come after moving forward with the choice to believe. That is faith. I want to share a recent experience with you that teaches the power of this principle. I was on a hike in a place that I had never been before on a trail I had never seen. It was completely unfamiliar to me. All I knew is that I was going uphill and I was going to see a waterfall at the end. As I was going along, I started to notice little worn paths that would veer to my left, but right next to each of those paths was a sign with a picture of a person falling off a cliff and the words, stay on the trail, But clearly people had ignored that sign. and gone off the trail, or that path wouldn't have been so worn. So I kept walking forward on the trail, but again, there came another path that veered off with that same sign. And this happened multiple times. Finally, okay, I'll admit, My curiosity got the best of me. I wanted to see what was so dangerous down that path. Because you really couldn't tell what was there. The trees were so thick that they completely obstructed your view. My husband was with me. He's the real follower and he stayed on the trail. Me, who has always enjoyed pushing the limits a little bit, decided I would. I needed to see what was down that restricted path. I slowly and carefully walked down the path and was shocked to see what had been hidden from my view. Just a few feet was a sheer drop off And it was an incredibly deep gorge. I was actually a little disappointed because it looked like it would be a beautiful view, but you couldn't really see it very well. So I turned back around and safely got back onto the trail. I kept on walking and was surprised to find that just around the curve, if I had waited just one minute longer, I would have realized that just ahead, the trees had been completely cleared and there was a platform that went out over the drop off that was guarded by railing so that you could walk up onto it and have the most beautiful and safe view. When we have unanswered questions, it is so tempting out of curiosity and wanting to understand to turn to the precepts of men to listen to other people's answers and convincing ideas. But cursed is he that putteth his trust in man, or maketh flesh his arm, or shall hearken unto the precepts of men, save their precepts shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost. If we are patient, God has prepared a foundation we can stand on to see the most beautiful view of clarity and truth. Often just up ahead, but we will never see it. If we go off on other paths or choose to cut our journey short, don't give up because you can't see the view of other paths may seem satisfying, but they are nowhere near as magnificent. They are a poor substitute and can be spiritually deadly. The Lord has promised us I will give unto the children of men, line upon line, precept upon precept. Hear a little and there a little. And blessed are those who hawken unto my precepts and lend an ear to my counsel for they shall learn wisdom after I consciously decided that I would not walk down paths created by man, revelation, accelerated confirmation after confirmation came. We need to remember this important principle when it comes to the journey of discovering truth. As we seek answers, Satan is going to show up to offer us his ideas. We have to recognize it for what it is and dismiss Satan and have patience in God's timing in order to receive his wisdom. Man will always offer you quick answers. But it's a much more beautiful process to have patience and trust in faith, in learning the principle of revelation and seeking God's answers. Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor standeth in the way of sinners, Nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season. His leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. Choose to believe and move forward in that belief. Wilcox wrote a poem that says, there is no chance, no destiny, no fate, Can circumvent or hinder or control The firm resolve of a determined soul. Elder Cook elaborated on that poem stating on matters of principle, conduct, religious observance, and righteous living, we are in control. Our faith in and worship of God, the Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ is a choice that we make, So here's a question I offer to you to take to God. It is the same question that President Nelson gave us. Asking God, what reinforcements to your testimony and understanding of the gospel are needed? Christ is our foundation. Christ is smiling brightly.