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Fear Not: Faith in the Last Day! · ToddTalks--Spirit By Design: Your Weekly Survival Guide

• 0:26
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to Todd Talks, Spirit by Design, where I help you design your spiritual life to prepare you for the second coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_00: Today we're going to talk about if you are prepared, ye shall not fear.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_00: I'm going to edit that to be if you have faith, ye shall not fear.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_00: Question isn't whether the last days will be frightening.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_00: Jesus already told us that they would be.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_00: Sorry about the um hitch in my voice.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_00: I've got uh I sneezed a bunch of times, and so my voice is a little bit off.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_00: So the question is whether we will allow what is happening around us to become greater than our faith in the one who is above all of it.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_00: So it's an uncomfortable reality that Jesus himself prophesied.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: He said, nation shall rise against nation, kingdom against kingdom.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_00: There shall be famines and pestilences and earthquakes.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_00: Men's hearts shall fail them for fear.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: The Savior wasn't naive about the future.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_00: He spoke about it.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_00: He knew what the last days would look like.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_00: But one thing he kept telling his apostles, and it applies to us as well, he said in Matthew 24, 6, see that ye be not troubled.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: And in Doctrine and Covenants, be of good cheer and do not fear.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: That's DNC 68.6.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_00: What if one of the greatest tests of discipleship in the last days isn't surviving the chaos?
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_00: What if it's refusing to become chaotic ourselves?
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_00: As we get close to the second coming, the world is gonna give us reasons to be afraid.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: So, modern information environment, we see wars, political division, economic and political uncertainty, cultural confusion, attacks on faith, family challenges, constant bad news, social media, outrage, oh my gosh, fear about the future, and we see anxiety medication uses on the rise because people are afraid.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_00: The savior predicted this kind of turmoil, but here's the important distinction: prophecy is not supposed to produce panic, prophecy is supposed to induce in us preparation.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: President Russell M.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_00: Nelson taught that we live in a time when all things shall be in commotion and that fear will come upon people.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_00: But he emphasized that we can hear Christ better by becoming still.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_00: You know, that really fits in well with all the meditating, all the teaching I've been doing about being quiet, listening, meditating.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_00: The question to ask yourself is are we studying prophecy so we can recognize the signs, or are we consuming the signs until we're addicted to fear?
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_00: Jesus never said, don't notice the storm.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_00: Um faith isn't pretending everything is alright.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_00: Faith says, I see the storm.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_00: I just know who's in the boat.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_00: In Mark 4, 37, 40, um, we have the story of Christ calming the sea.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_00: The disciples are terrified.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_00: The ship is about to go under.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_00: And what's Jesus doing?
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_00: He's sleeping.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: They wake him and say, Master, carest thou not that we perish?
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_00: Jesus calms the storm and he asks them, Why are you so fearful?
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_00: How is it that ye have no faith?
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_00: That is one of the central questions of this episode.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_00: Fear asks, what if everything goes wrong?
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_00: Faith asks, what if Jesus is still Lord when everything goes wrong?
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_00: What if the master of sea and land and air and the world has told us, don't be afraid.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_00: And oh my gosh, guess what he did?
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_00: He told us, don't be afraid.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_00: He said, if ye are prepared, ye shall not fear.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_00: In Doctrine Covenants 3830, we read, if ye are prepared, ye shall not fear.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_00: The Lord isn't talking about food storage, financial preparation.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_00: No, he's talking about embracing the chaos, embracing the second coming of our Lord, and recognizing that while we can't prevent bad things from happening or possibly happening to us, we don't have to fear them.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_00: President Nelson made this distinction beautifully in Embrace the Future with Faith.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_00: His talk, he said that while temporal preparation matters, he was especially concerned about our spiritual and emotional preparation.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_00: Excuse me while I take a drink.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_00: There are three kinds of preparation.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_00: Prepare your testimony, prepare your character, and prepare your relationship with Christ.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_00: Those preparations will eliminate the fear.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_00: It doesn't eliminate uncertainty, it eliminates unnecessary fear.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_00: Faith doesn't mean you know what will happen.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_00: We often think if I have enough faith, I know I'll know everything is going to work out exactly the way I want it.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_00: That's not faith, that's blind hope.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_00: Faith is saying, I don't know exactly what is going to happen, but I know who Jesus Christ is, and I trust that his plan will work out for me.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_00: In Ether 12, 6 we read, Ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_00: In Proverbs 3, 5 and 6 we read, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_00: How many of us do that?
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_00: I think most, a lot of us lean on our own understanding and worry about what is going on.
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_00: In 2 Timothy 1:7 we read, God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_00: So in reality, faith isn't certainty about circumstances, faith is certainty about Christ.
• 8:06
  SPEAKER_00: And if we have faith in Christ, we are told we don't need to fear.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_00: President Nelson acknowledged the frightening things the Lord has prophesied about the latter days: wars, calamities, deception, and hearts failing out of fear.
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_00: Then he gave his antidote.
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_00: He said, embrace the future with faith.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_00: He taught that the future will be glorious for those who prepare and continue preparing to be instruments in the Lord's hand.
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_00: So what if we're looking at the last days through the wrong lens?
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_00: Instead of asking how bad is the world becoming, ask how can I help our Lord and Savior?
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_00: How can I, how strong can I become in Christ?
• 9:00
  SPEAKER_00: Elder Ronald A.
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_00: Rasbin in his 2018 talk, Be Not Troubled, he emphasized to stand in holy places, don't be troubled, trust the promises of Christ, and stay on the covenant path.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_00: He quotes the Savior saying, Be of good cheer and do not fear.
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_00: And look unto me in every thought, doubt not, fear not.
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_00: That's DNC 636.
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_00: Elder Rasman makes the powerful point that faithful disciples don't need to fear simply because the world is frightening.
• 9:38
  SPEAKER_00: So ask yourself, where are your holy places?
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_00: Your home, the temple, sacrament meeting, scripture study, prayer, the covenant path, quiet time with God.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_00: If the world gets louder, we need to get closer to God.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_00: We need to get quiet.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_00: Elder Jorg Klebbing got taught, let us be confident, not apologetic, valiant, not timid, faithful, not fearful, as we hold up the Lord's light in these last days.
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_00: You know, that could be a mission statement for your life.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_00: Fear over faith, valiant over timidity, confidence instead of being apologetic, purposeful instead of reactive, focused on Christ instead of focused on the world.
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_00: Which side describes you?
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_00: President Monson taught faith always defeats fear.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_00: He taught that standing firmly on the rock of a testimony of Jesus Christ gives disciples courage.
• 11:01
  SPEAKER_00: Faith doesn't mean fear never shows up.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_00: Fear comes.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_00: Satan speaks fear into your mind.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_00: Fear will arrive when chaos happens.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_00: But faith overpowers that.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_00: Fear doesn't get the final vote.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_00: You can be scared and still act.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_00: We call that courage.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_00: You can be uncertain and still obey.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_00: You can be overwhelmed and still pray.
• 11:33
  SPEAKER_00: You can see darkness and still carry the light.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_00: You know, in the Book of Mormon, Moroni, the final prophet, lived through the complete collapse of his entire nation.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_00: He watched everyone he knew, cared about, and loved be killed, murdered by the Lamanites.
• 11:57
  SPEAKER_00: He watched war, wickedness, division, apostasy, death, and destruction.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_00: He could have become cynical.
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_00: Instead, he wrote And now I Moroni would speak somewhat concerning these things.
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_00: Come into Christ and be for perfected in him.
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_00: Moroni 10, 32.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_00: Moroni didn't control the world around him.
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_00: This is right before he closed the book.
• 12:29
  SPEAKER_00: That's the end of the Book of the Mormon.
• 12:32
  SPEAKER_00: He closed the book telling us to come unto Christ and be perfected in him.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_00: He controlled his faithfulness in Christ.
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_00: And that's an assignment for us too.
• 12:49
  SPEAKER_00: You know, fear makes you small.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_00: Faith makes us useful.
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_00: Fear causes us to ask, how do I protect myself?
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_00: Faith causes us to ask, who can I help?
• 13:06
  SPEAKER_00: Who needs me?
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_00: When you're afraid, you retreat.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_00: When you have faith, you serve.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_00: When you're afraid, you consume.
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_00: When you have faith, you contribute.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_00: When you're afraid, you obsess over what might happen.
• 13:21
  SPEAKER_00: When you have faith, you do what God has asked you to do today.
• 13:25
  SPEAKER_00: In Mosiah 2.17, we read, When you are in the service of your fellow beings, you are only in the service of your God.
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_00: So many times we're told to fear not.
• 13:41
  SPEAKER_00: Faith looks like praying when you're afraid, opening the scriptures when you're overwhelmed, going to the temple when the world feels chaotic, taking the sacrament seriously, listening to the prophets, asking for and receiving blessings, keeping your covenants, serving someone, turning off the noise.
• 14:02
  SPEAKER_00: Stop doom scrolling.
• 14:05
  SPEAKER_00: Do the next right thing.
• 14:07
  SPEAKER_00: Trust Christ with the things you cannot control.
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_00: President Nelson has emphasized that personal revelation and the Holy Ghost are essential to navigating the increasing commotion and deception of the world in these last days.
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_00: I've talked about that a lot in many, many episodes.
• 14:27
  SPEAKER_00: The only way we're going to get through is to build our ability to receive personal revelation.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_00: How do you do that?
• 14:35
  SPEAKER_00: Well, lots of options.
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_00: But you have to get quiet and you have to listen.
• 14:41
  SPEAKER_00: You have to ask.
• 14:43
  SPEAKER_00: And when you receive answers, you have to not fear, but act.
• 14:53
  SPEAKER_00: The last days should make us more Christ-blank, not more afraid.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_00: This is a key philosophical point.
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_00: The purpose of knowing we're in the latter days isn't to make us obsess over timelines, conspiracy theories, political predictions, identifying the Antichrist, guessing when Christ will return.
• 15:13
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of people do that.
• 15:14
  SPEAKER_00: It's all over the internet.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_00: The purpose of knowing we're in the latter days is to become ready to meet Christ because He is coming.
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_00: The question isn't can I predict the second coming?
• 15:30
  SPEAKER_00: It's if Jesus came tomorrow, would I be living today in a way that I would be happy to be found?
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_00: Would I recognize him?
• 15:39
  SPEAKER_00: In fact, would he want me to be around him?
• 15:46
  SPEAKER_00: Jesus Christ, our Savior, is coming back.
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_00: Our preparation needs to be daily.
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_00: How can I become more like him?
• 15:59
  SPEAKER_00: Not preparedness, not food storage, not politics, not finances, not prophecy, not even fear.
• 16:05
  SPEAKER_00: Jesus is the principal foundation upon which all of this needs to be built.
• 16:11
  SPEAKER_00: In the world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_00: That's John 16, 33.
• 16:20
  SPEAKER_00: What Jesus doesn't say is you won't have tribulate tribulation.
• 16:25
  SPEAKER_00: He says, I have overcome the world.
• 16:28
  SPEAKER_00: There will be challenges, there will be struggles.
• 16:33
  SPEAKER_00: But what are you afraid of?
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_00: What are you afraid of right now?
• 16:38
  SPEAKER_00: What would change if you put the fear at the feet of Jesus Christ?
• 16:43
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you have problems in your marriage, with your children, with your finances, your health, your future, your testimony.
• 16:50
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you're afraid of the calling that you were just given, the mistakes that you've made, your sins, your inadequacies, the state of the world.
• 16:58
  SPEAKER_00: It's going to hell in a handbasket.
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_00: We know that.
• 17:02
  SPEAKER_00: Look unto Christ in every thought, doubt not, fear not.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_00: The world may become more uncertain.
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_00: Christ does not.
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_00: The world may become louder.
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_00: His voice doesn't change.
• 17:17
  SPEAKER_00: The future may be unknown.
• 17:19
  SPEAKER_00: That's given.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_00: He already knows the end from the beginning, though.
• 17:24
  SPEAKER_00: And if I have faith in Jesus Christ, I don't have to live the last days afraid.
• 17:29
  SPEAKER_00: I can live them prepared, I can live them courageously, I can live them joyfully, I can live them faithfully, I can live them looking for Him.
• 17:40
  SPEAKER_00: And that is the message that I want to leave you with.
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_00: Fear not, for I have come overcome the world.
• 17:51
  SPEAKER_00: Doubt not, fear not.
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_00: Look to Christ and live.
• 17:57
  SPEAKER_00: And he wants you to live joyfully.
• 18:03
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, joyfully.
• 18:04
  SPEAKER_00: He wants you to live a happy life in spite of the chaos.
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_00: Don't be so serious all the time.
• 18:16
  SPEAKER_00: This is Todd Talks, where I help you design your spiritual life, spirit by design.
• 18:24
  SPEAKER_00: Have a blessed day.