Lesson 26 Teacher Material

After the Trial of Your Faith

The Book of Mormon records many examples of people who acted with faith in Jesus Christ during times of trial and received witnesses that confirmed their faith. This lesson will give students the opportunity to explain why exercising faith in Jesus Christ precedes receiving a spiritual witness and to identify how they can act with greater faith in Him when they face trials. Students will also consider what faith-inspired actions they can take to gain or deepen their witness of the Book of Mormon.

Suggestions for Teaching

Improving Our Teaching and Learning

Share true stories and accounts. To increase students’ interest in learning, consider sharing true stories or accounts from prophets’ lives, Church history, general conference addresses, Church magazines, or your own life or inviting students to share their experiences. Such stories can illustrate gospel principles and help students feel their truth and importance.

Moroni teaches the importance of acting in faith.

Display the following account by Elder D. Todd Christofferson (you might want to mention that students read about this experience in section 1 of the preparation material):

Some time before I was called as a General Authority, I faced a personal economic challenge that persisted for several years. At times this challenge threatened the welfare of my family and me, and I thought we might be facing financial ruin. I prayed for some miraculous intervention to deliver us. Although I offered that prayer many times with great sincerity and earnest desire, the answer in the end was “No.” (“Look to God Each Day,” New Era, Apr. 2015, 3–4)

• In what ways could an experience like this challenge someone’s faith in Jesus Christ?

• What are some other real-life examples of how people’s faith can be tried or tested?

Invite students to review Moroni’s teachings concerning faith in Ether 12:3–7, 12, 18, and then ask the following questions:

• What can we learn from Ether and Moroni about exercising faith? (Among other truths, students might identify something like the following: We receive no spiritual witness until after the trial of our faith.)

• Why do you think we are expected to act in faith before we receive a spiritual witness from God?

• In what ways are we blessed as we remain faithful to Jesus Christ during our trials? (You may want to review the statement by Elder Christofferson in section 1 of the preparation material.)

Invite students to think of examples in the Book of Mormon of people who acted with faith in Jesus Christ when facing trials or opposition. If needed, give them a few minutes to study the accounts of the people they thought of. (Students who completed the study activity in section 2 of the preparation material can review what they already studied.)

After sufficient time, divide the class into small groups to discuss the following questions (remind students that they answered similar questions in section 2 of the preparation material):

1. How did the individual or people exercise faith in Jesus Christ? What blessings and divine power did the Lord provide after they exercised faith in Him? (It may be helpful to point out that some blessings may not come until the next life.)

2. What principles or practices can you learn from this account? How can you apply them to your life?

You might also invite students to ponder the principles they discussed and record their personal thoughts and impressions about them.

Moroni invites readers to seek a witness of the Book of Mormon.

Display the following scenario:

Imagine that you have just given a close friend a copy of the Book of Mormon and testified that it is true. In response your friend says, “Thank you for sharing this with me. I’ve heard a lot of different opinions about the Book of Mormon. Someone even warned me not to read it, because it’s filled with lies.”

• How might you respond to your friend’s reservations about the Book of Mormon?

• How could you apply the teachings in Ether 12:6 to this situation?

Invite a student to read Moroni 10:3–5 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for how we can gain a testimony of the Book of Mormon.

• What should we do if we want to gain a testimony of the Book of Mormon? (Students may identify the following or a similar principle: To gain a testimony of the Book of Mormon, we should remember and ponder the Lord’s mercy as we read the book and then ask God if it is true with sincerity, real intent, and faith in Jesus Christ.)

• How does accepting Moroni’s invitation exemplify what we have been learning about acting in faith? (It may be helpful for students to review the statement by Elder Gene R. Cook in section 3 of the preparation material.)

Remind students that in section 3 of the preparation material they were invited to reflect on and record their experience with obtaining a spiritual witness that the Book of Mormon is true. Invite a few students to share what they have experienced and learned in seeking and receiving a spiritual witness of the Book of Mormon.

Consider sharing the following statement about Moroni’s promise by President Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency:

I hope that you all have proved that promise for yourself or that you will do it soon. The answer may not come in a single and powerful spiritual experience. For me it came quietly at first. But it comes ever more forcefully each time I have read and prayed over the Book of Mormon.

I do not depend on what has happened in the past. To keep my living testimony of the Book of Mormon secure, I receive the promise of Moroni often. I don’t take that blessing of a testimony for granted as a perpetual entitlement. (“A Living Testimony,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2011, 127)

• What are you doing, or what could you be doing, to strengthen your testimony of the Book of Mormon?

For Next Time

Invite students to consider what their lives would be like if they did not have any faith, hope, or charity. As they prepare for the next class, invite them to ponder what they can do to more fully incorporate these Christlike attributes in their lives.