Digital Only: Answers from an Apostle
What Should I Do If I’m Experiencing Challenges to My Faith?
How you face doubts is important. You can find answers to your questions and resolve your doubts.
Every generation faces circumstances that can lead to a challenge of their faith. When we search the scriptures and review God’s dealings with His children, two themes are emphasized:
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First, because there is opposition in all things and there is an adversary who does not want us to have faith in God, each generation needs to discover and obtain their own knowledge and testimony of God.
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Second, each generation needs to understand who they are and their eternal identity. Both of these are difficult to discern because the adversary does not want you to have a clear understanding of God the Father and Jesus Christ and Their plan of happiness for you and who you are in relation to Them.
Questions of faith have always been present. When the Apostle Paul visited Athens, he tried to teach of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Of his effort we read in Acts, “For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.”
Doesn’t this just sound like the social media world of today?
When the crowd realized the simple religious, faith-based nature of Paul’s message, including his testimony of Jesus Christ, they rejected it.
The Identity Challenge
In addition to faith in God, our true identity has also been challenged throughout recorded history. The answer has always been the same. We are all spirit children of the same loving Heavenly Father. President Russell M. Nelson has addressed this in a powerful way. He has emphasized three enduring designations: “child of God,” “child of the covenant,” and “disciple of Jesus Christ.”
He has also encouraged us to not label ourselves or label others. Many of the problems we face would be resolved if we recognized ourselves as children of a loving Heavenly Father.
The “Relevance” Challenge
Those who desire to destroy faith often assert that faith is no longer relevant. They mistakenly want their personal predilections with respect to the social issues of the day to replace God-given revelation and commandments. They assume and assert that large numbers of people have the same social preferences and are no longer faithful members.
For your information, youth and young adults are not less active or leaving the Church in higher numbers than in the past, as has been widely circulated. The number of missionaries called to serve has significantly increased. The percentage of church participation for the rising generation shows a continuous upward trend. Moreover, the number of young adults attending institute has also been increasing.
How to Face Questions and Doubts
Please understand that I am not criticizing those with doubts; however, I am suggesting that how you face them is important. The answer to this challenge is the gospel of Jesus Christ.
I promise you: If you faithfully read the scriptures, pray, and have religious observance in your lives, you will, over time, find answers to your questions and resolve doubts that may arise from time to time.
One of my favorite scriptural accounts is found in the gospel of Mark about the father who wanted his son to be delivered from an evil spirit. In the scriptural account the Savior essentially asked the father if he believed his son could be healed. The father, with tears in his eyes, said, “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” This was acceptable to the Lord, and He rebuked the spirit and healed the son.
The lesson is to not let doubts or disbelief overcome our faith. Diligent scripture study, sincere prayer, conscientious religious observance, and following the counsel of the Lord’s prophet will allow you to overcome faith challenges.