The Lord will increase a person’s capacity to rise above life’s challenges if he or she has steadfast and unwavering faith, taught Elder Ulisses Soares of the Presidency of the Seventy.
“Mortal life is a period of testing where we will be proven to see if we will do all things that the Lord our God shall command us,” he said Saturday morning. “This will require unwavering faith in Christ even in times of great difficulty. It will require that we press forward with steadfast faith in Christ, being led by the Spirit, and trusting that God will provide for our needs.”
Through the Atonement, Jesus Christ removed every impediment to our rejoicing and finding peace. The benefits of His atoning sacrifice extend to all who take up His cross and follow Him.
“As we exercise faith in Jesus Christ and in His Atonement, we will be strengthened, our burdens will be eased, and through Him we will overcome the world.”
Elder Soares assured that God blesses those who are faithful.
“Faith is the source of living with divine purpose and eternal perspective,” he said. “Faith is a practical principle that inspires diligence. It is a vital, living force manifest in our positive attitude and desire to willingly do everything that God and Jesus Christ ask of us. It takes us to our knees to implore the Lord for guidance and to arise and act with confidence to achieve things consistent with His will.”
During moments of trial, the adversary will try to use a person’s own logic or reasoning against him or her. Do not allow Satan to undermine faith and lose the power to obtain God’s blessings, Elder Soares cautioned.
“I invite you to place all of your trust in God and in the teachings of His prophets,” he said. “I invite you to renew your covenants with God, to serve Him with all your heart, regardless of the complex situations of life. I testify that by the power of your unwavering faith in Christ, you will become free of the captivity of sin; of doubt; of unbelief; of unhappiness; of suffering; and you will receive all of the promised blessings from our Heavenly Father.”
