Courage Born of Our Faith in Jesus Christ

Elder Neil L. Andersen is an Apostle. He began by welcoming President Rosemary K. Chibota, the new Primary General President. When she was 17, she lived in Zimbabwe, in Africa. She found a pamphlet about Joseph Smith that missionaries left at her home. She read it and felt that it was true! She was baptized. Nineteen years later, her parents joined the Church too. Elder Andersen said her story shows courage that comes from faith in Jesus.

Jesus is the Son of God. He lived a perfect life. He suffered for our sins so we can repent and be forgiven. He died, and on the third day He rose again. Because Jesus was resurrected, we will be too.

Elder Andersen said following Jesus takes courage. Courage means doing what is right even when it is hard or scary. In the Book of Mormon, Moroni was all alone. His family had died. But he bravely said, “And I, Moroni, will not deny the Christ.”

When Elder Andersen was a boy, he grew up on a small dairy farm. In the summer, he rode his horse and took the cows up to a high meadow to eat grass. There were no phones, no earbuds, and no music. He had quiet time to think. Elder Andersen said we still need quiet time to help our faith grow.

When we kneel alone and pray, Heavenly Father gives us courage to choose the right. President David O. McKay said, “The greatest battle of life is fought within the silent chambers of your own soul.” That means the most important choices happen inside our hearts.

Elder Andersen told about a family in Spokane, Washington. A big fire burned down their house. But they said, “Our family is safe,” and “We can build another house.” Their faith in Jesus gave them courage.

It takes courage to get up early for seminary, to serve a mission, to keep the Sabbath day holy, and to tell others about Jesus. Elder Andersen said even a mom getting her little children ready for church takes courage!

After Jesus was resurrected, He showed His hands and feet to the Apostles. Later, Peter and John healed a man who could not walk. When leaders asked how they did it, Peter and John bravely said the man was healed by the name of Jesus Christ.

Elder Andersen said, like Peter and John, he knows Jesus lives. When we follow Jesus, our faith and courage grow.

A scripture for this talk: Moroni 1:3. Moroni was alone, but he said he would not deny Jesus Christ. We can be brave like Moroni.

Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve welcomed President Rosemary K. Chibota as a new general leader. At 17, Rosemary found a Joseph Smith pamphlet missionaries had left at her home in Zimbabwe. She read it and immediately received a spiritual witness that Joseph had seen God the Father and His Son. She was baptized and became an example to her parents, who joined the Church 19 years later. Her story, he said, shows courage born of faith in Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is the divine Son of God. He came to earth in humble circumstances, lived a perfect life, and suffered for our sins so we can repent and be forgiven. He died and rose the third day, and because He rose, we too will be resurrected. Being His true disciple is not a casual pursuit. Elder Andersen defined spiritual courage as the triumph over obstacles, doubt and fear in choosing the right.

Moroni wrote, “My father [and all my family have] been slain in battle, … and I have not friends nor whither to go.” Even as enemies killed everyone who would not deny Christ, he declared, “And I, Moroni, will not deny the Christ.” Our world is different, but discipleship still requires courage. Paul said we wrestle against the rulers of the darkness of this world. Today our phones seem almost attached to our hand, bringing floods of information.

Elder Andersen grew up on a small dairy farm. Nearly every summer morning after milking, he saddled his horse and guided the cows to a high meadow, with no cell phone, no earbuds, no music, no texting all day long, just me and the cows alone with my thoughts. Times have changed, but our spirits haven’t. “We need stillness to nourish our faith in Christ.”

Faith and courage strengthen each other. Faith gives us the desire to kneel alone and pray, and in those quiet moments we receive courage to choose the right. President David O. McKay said, “The greatest battle of life is fought within the silent chambers of your own soul.” Each week at the sacrament, we promise to take Christ’s name and keep His commandments, and keeping those covenants takes courage.

Faith gives courage to accept callings even when we feel inadequate. As a busy young lawyer, Dallin H. Oaks was called to serve in a stake mission presidency three or four evenings a week. He said, “Gathering all my faith, I accepted the call,” and called it a very important decision.

Faith gives courage to minister, keep the commandments, and trust God when illness or disaster upends life. A month earlier, Elder Andersen went with President Uchtdorf to Spokane, Washington, where fires destroyed many homes. “Our family is safe,” a couple there told him. “and our faith is secure. We can build another house.” Faith also gives youth courage to attend early-morning seminary and serve missions, and gives a young mother courage to bring small children to church, even when some Sundays are more a wrestle of survival than a spiritual renewal.

A woman who had been devastated by her husband’s betrayal bore testimony that whether in happiness or grief she would trust in the rock of her salvation. With Paul we can be troubled on every side, yet not distressed. Elder Andersen promised that as we strengthen our faith, your answers will come, your spiritual power will increase.

After the resurrected Savior said, “Behold my hands and my feet,” and “[Handle] me and see,” Peter and John later healed a man who couldn’t walk. Questioned by rulers, they boldly declared he was healed by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom God raised from the dead. Elder Andersen added his witness: “He lives.”

Scripture to look up: Moroni 1:3. Moroni, alone and in danger, declared he would not deny the Christ: courage born of faith in Jesus Christ.

Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles opened by welcoming President Rosemary K. Chibota to general Church leadership, whose story “Her story is an example of courage born of faith in Jesus Christ.” At 17, she found a Joseph Smith pamphlet missionaries had left at her home in Zimbabwe. “She read it and immediately received a spiritual witness that it was true; Joseph had seen God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.” She was taught, baptized, and became an example to her parents, who joined the Church 19 years later. “Faith and courage are hallmarks of disciples of Jesus Christ.”

He bore witness of the Savior: the divine Son of God, born in the humblest circumstances, who lived a perfect life, taught us how to live, and, out of incomparable love, suffered for our sins so we could repent and be forgiven. He died and, in the majesty of our Heavenly Father’s plan, rose the third day. Because he rose from the tomb, we too will be resurrected. Discipleship, then, is not a casual pursuit. Spiritual courage is the triumph over obstacles, doubt and fear in choosing the right. It has always taken spiritual courage, born of faith in Christ, to follow Him.

Moroni modeled it. “My father [and all my family have] been slain in battle, … and I have not friends nor whither to go” (Mormon 8:5). Even as adversaries put to death everyone who would not deny Christ, he declared, “And I, Moroni, will not deny the Christ” (Moroni 1:3). Our challenges differ, but the struggle Paul described persists: “We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world” (Ephesians 6:12). “Our world is in constant commotion. Our phone seems almost attached to our hand, bringing a flood of information, misinformation, and now artificial information.”

He contrasted that with his boyhood on a small dairy farm. Nearly every summer morning after milking, he saddled his horse and guided three dozen cows to a high meadow, no cell phone, no earbuds, no music, no texting all day long, just me and the cows alone with my thoughts. Times have changed, but our spirits have not changed. We need stillness to nourish our faith.

Faith and courage reinforce each other: as we choose faith in Christ, He gives us courage to choose the right, and as we manifest our courage to choose the right, our faith in Christ increases. Faith gives the desire to humbly kneel alone and pray, and in private prayer we are given the increased courage to choose the right. He recalled hearing President David O. McKay as a young man: “The greatest battle of life is fought within the silent chambers of your own soul.” Each week at the sacrament we witness our willingness to take Christ’s name, remember Him, and keep His commandments (Moroni 4:3), and then with courage we are true to our covenants and the Lord increases our faith.

Faith gives courage to accept callings when we feel inadequate or short on time. As a young attorney at a prestigious firm working evenings and Saturdays, Dallin H. Oaks was called as a counselor in a stake mission presidency, requiring three or four evenings a week. “Gathering all my faith, I accepted the call.” He later called it a very important decision. “His faith strengthened his courage, and his decision brought increasing faith.”

Faith brings courage to minister, live the Word of Wisdom and the law of chastity, honor the Sabbath, pay an honest tithe, and trust the Father and Son when unforeseen illness, financial troubles, or natural disaster upend our life. A month earlier he accompanied President Dieter F. Uchtdorf to Spokane, Washington, where fires had destroyed hundreds of homes. “Our family is safe,” Cody and Haley Woodbury, whose neighborhood was gone, told him. “and our faith is secure. We can build another house.” Faith gives tens of thousands of youth courage to rise before dawn for seminary, serve missions, and marry and begin families, and helps those unable to marry stay true to their covenants. And a young mother prepares her small children for church, knowing that some Sundays will be more a wrestle of survival than a spiritual renewal.

He told of a woman of deep faith, devastated by her husband’s betrayal, who declared in testimony meeting that in happiness or unspeakable grief, she would trust in the rock of her salvation, her savior Jesus Christ. With hope in Christ we may be, as Paul said, “troubled on every side, yet not distressed; … perplexed, but not in despair” (2 Corinthians 4:8). He promised that as we strengthen our faith by believing, following, and obeying, your answers will come, your spiritual power will increase, and your courage in following Christ will define your eternal soul. The Savior declared, “If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him” (John 14:23).

Peter and John were present when the resurrected Christ said, “Behold my hands and my feet,” Jesus said, “that it is I myself: handle me, and see” (Luke 24:39). Soon after, confronted by disbelieving rulers over the healing of a man unable to walk, they declared with courage born of faith that he was made whole by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom God raised from the dead (Acts 4:10). Elder Andersen added his witness: “He lives. He guides this holy work, the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.”