April 2009 General Conference: Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ

Elder Kevin W. Pearson of the Seventy bore testimony of his faith in Christ. He shared his witness of faith in the Savior that we can place our utmost assurance in, during these most difficult and trying times.

Elder Pearson stressed that we need to teach these principles to our children. True faith compels action and obedience to the Lord´s commandments.

Faith and fear cannot coexist. One gives way to the other. The simple fact is we all need to constantly build faith and overcome sources of destructive disbelief. Consider it this way: our net usable faith is what we have left to exercise after we subtract our sources of doubt and disbelief. You might ask yourself this question: “Is my own net faith positive or negative?” If your faith exceeds your doubt and disbelief, the answer is likely positive. If you allow doubt and disbelief to control you, the answer might be negative.

We do have a choice. We get what we focus on consistently. Because there is an opposition in all things, there are forces that erode our faith. Some are the result of Satan’s direct influence. But for others, we have no one but ourselves to blame. These stem from personal tendencies, attitudes, and habits we can learn to change. I will refer to these influences as the “Six Destructive Ds.” As I do, consider their influence on you or your children.

1. Doubt

• not a principle of the gospel.
• does not come from the Light of Christ
• does not come from the influence of the Holy Ghost.
• negative emotion related to fear.
• comes from a lack of confidence in one’s self or abilities.
• inconsistent with our divine identity as children of God.

2. Discouragement

• comes from missed expectations.
• leads to lower expectations.
• decreased effort.
• weakened desire.
• greater difficulty feeling and following the Spirit.

3. Distraction

• lack of focus.
• eliminates the very focus the eye of faith requires.
• Satan’s most effective tools.
• bad habits.

4. Lack of diligence,
reduced commitment to remain true and faithful and to carry on through despite hardship and disappointment. Disappointment is an inevitable part of life, but it need not lead to doubt, discouragement, distraction, or lack of diligence.
If not reversed, this path ultimately leads to

5. Disobedience, which undermines the very basis of faith. So often the result is disbelief, the conscious or unconscious refusal to believe.
The scriptures describe
6. Disbelief as the state of having chosen to harden one’s heart. It is to be past feeling.
These Six Destructive Ds—doubt, discouragement, distraction, lack of diligence, disobedience, and disbelief—all erode and destroy our faith. We can choose to avoid and overcome them.