The youth theme for the year is: Philippians 4:13 which says, “I
can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” We hear this and it sounds wonderful. But how does it work? When life gets hard or challenging, it can be confusing and difficult to know how this happens. Today I’m talking about how the Savior
helps us in all our things. How does he strengthen us when we
feel fear?
The scriptures provide us with a formula or pattern for how this
can happen in our lives. In first Nephi, we learn that, after a
prophetic dream, Lehi announced to his family that they were
packing their must-haves, leaving their valuables, their home
and their lives in Jerusalem to flee in to the wilderness for a
what seems like family camping adventure, never to return.
Nephi, one of Lehi’s sons, shows us a pattern of how to be
strengthened through Christ during this time of uncertainty and
hardship.
1. I’m sure upon hearing news, he reacted the same way we
all would. He was probably shocked and upset that his life
was about to be out of his control. Change was happening
and it was against his will. With faith, he decided to “fear
not” by moving to step 2:
2. He prayed. He took the time to talk to God about what was
happening in his life, discussing his concerns and asking
questions about what to do next. After this prayer, he tells
us that God softened his heart and he believed all the things
his father said. Once he received this answer, he moved to
step 3.
3. move forward. He supported his dad by not resisting the
challenge and instead prayerfully participated in whatever
was necessary. As his journey unfolds with many miracles
and hardships, he moves to step 4.
4. Fourth, he continually remembers Christ’s and Heavenly
Father’s ability to help others. He watched for miracles that
proved that God was with them every step, supporting them
and watching over them. Nephi frequently referenced the
help Moses received while leading the Israelites out of
captivity, discussing with his struggling family members
the miracles evident during the hardest times of their lives.
This pattern is the same one we can use to be aware of how
Christ can help us face our fears and feel strengthened by him.
Let’s break down the steps.
1. FEAR NOT
Life is full of moments where fear can creep in.
Loneliness, overwhelm and helplessness, among other
unpleasant emotions, are powerful feelings. The Lord has
addressed us in the scriptures specifically about “fear not”.
John 14:1, 27 - Let not your heart be a troubled : ye believe in
God, believe also in me.
27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not
as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart
be troubled , neither let it be afraid.
Isaiah 41:10 - Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not
dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I
will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of
my righteousness.
Sometimes a breakdown can occur right here at step one.
Sometimes, we may fall prey to the misbelief that we are
not worthy or good enough to be included in the group
being addressed here. Or that our fear isn’t worth bringing
to God for his help.
I’m going to add a clause to this scripture I mentioned at
the beginning of my talk. “I can do all things through Christ
which strengtheneth me - because He loves me.”
Understanding that our Savior’s love for each of his
brothers and sisters includes you and me. It is
unconditional and constant.
Romans 8:38, 39
38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor
angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present,
nor things to come,
39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be
able to a separate us from the b love of God, which is in
Christ Jesus our Lord.
Just a reminder that this scripture was written by the apostle
Paul, who at one time worked to end the spread of the Gospel of
Jesus Christ until his conversion. He learned that God loved him
unconditionally and then taught it himself as scripture. So, God
loves us. Our Savior Jesus Christ loves us. We can’t escape it.
They are always there. They show themselves to us reminding
us that they are there in miracles and blessings every day.
Especially when fear kicks in. We are never alone in our trials.
President Nelson said, “The Savior is never closer to you than
when you are facing or climbing a mountain with faith.” –
adding the clause – BECAUSE HE LOVES YOU.
With all of this knowledge, we still can get caught up in a
mental trap of Satan’s plan. He would like us to live in fear, and
he’d have us believe we need to qualify for the love of God.
That we need to meet a certain spiritual requirement for Jesus to
love us. That his love is conditional and that we just don’t
measure up. This is a false belief. Jesus taught the truth of his
love for us in a parable of the Prodigal’s Son. In the parable, a
father – representing our own Father in Heaven – is saddened by
the self-destructive choices of one of his sons. The son takes his
inheritance, leaves town and engages in riotous living until he
loses everything. While the son is away, the father does not shun
him or disown him. He WAITS for him. And in the day the son
chooses to look to him for love, forgiveness and help, the father
RUNS to him with open arms, and celebrates his return showing
him love, support and welcoming grace. This is how our Father
in Heaven feels about us. So he asks us not to fear and not to be
dismayed or lose our courage. Because he is with us always to
strengthen us, help us and uphold us during this life.
2. PRAY
Another translation for Jesus is Jehovah – which can also be
translated to “I’ll be what tomorrow demands.” – learned on a
podcast
Psalm 34:19 - Many are the a afflictions of the righteous: but
the LORD delivereth him out of them all.
Our Savior wants us to have faith in Him and ask Him for
help. He wants to hear our questions and concerns. He
took upon himself every pain. Why? That he may know
how to succor his people.
President Oaks discussed how, “He knows our struggles
and heartaches to give us the strength to bear it all.”
When we humble ourselves and ask for help, we will get
what we need. Sometimes it is a miracle that’s undeniably
from God. The burden is lifted and we are spared from
suffering.
Other times God helps us fight our fears WITH us by
offering strength, comfort, peace of mind, and courage to
endure the pains or obstacles of the mountain we must
climb in order to learn, grow and become more like our
Savior. In this case we can continue to ask for support, to
be able to see the blessings in our trials and fears we are
facing.
3. MOVE FORWARD
Facing our fears with faith is difficult. By moving forward,
taking action, getting through another difficult day,
enduring pain, suffering, loneliness, bullying, illness,
discomfort, humiliation, all the things life might throw at us,
God and our Savior will bless us as we move forward, one
step at a time. In the doing, there are miracles, angels,
lessons, growth, strength and testimony building
experiences.
Any mountain we climb can leave us with a few scrapes.
But they heal. And may even leave scars. The Savior
himself kept his scars from enduring the biggest mountain
climb ever climbed. Probably to remind us that he knows
our pains. And as he moved forward through his trial with
faith, he reminds us he knows, he understands and he will
make it possible to get through. He knows what we need.
Ask him, believe he will help, look for all the ways he
shows himself to you and receive the blessings.
4. Remember his abilities.
One way we can do this is to record all the little messages
or miracles we see every day in a journal. I love reading
my old journals. In them, I have written the stories of my
life and my worries and concerns. I also write the things
I’m grateful for and the things I notice each day that I view
as a blessings and messages from my Heavenly Father
and Savior who love me. Reading my journals reminds me
of how they are always with me and my family. It’s also
helpful to study the scriptures and learn of the nature of
God, the life of the Savior and the testimonies of others
who have been strengthened by them during difficult
circumstances.
When we decide to call upon our faith to fear not, go to
Heavenly Father in prayer, move forward, doing the best
we can each day, remembering that our Savior loves us, is
on our side and has the power to do all things, we can rise
to meet any challenge that faces us, climb any mountain in
front of us and know that we are never alone.