Choosing to Believe--- An Every Day Act

Recently I had a chance to view/listen to/watch the LDS General Conference. For those of you unfamiliar with this, it is worldwide meeting of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, broadcast to millions of members, where our leaders address us. These men are prophets, apostles, and general authorities that are called of God to do his work. They prepare talks to help instruct the members and to communicate the Lord's will for His people. It is an amazing experience and I know that these men are truly called by God and are acting with His authority.

Anyways, as I was watching Conference, one of the speakers said something that really stuck out to me. Elder L. Whitney Clayton, of the Quorum of the Seventy, said, "Every day each of us faces a test. It is the test of our lifetimes: will we choose to believe in Him and allow the light of His gospel to grow within us, or will we refuse to believe and insist on traveling alone in the dark?" It was the word "everyday" that really caught my attention. Hadn't I already made my choice, along with millions of others, when I asked God if His church was true and received my answer? (A resounding yes, by the way) As I reflected on this, I came to few conclusions.

First, belief is not passive in any way, shape, or form. It is a conscious act, an intention declaration. Each person must decide for themselves who they are, what they believe, and how that belief defines them. This conscious act proves to our Heavenly Father that we are still committed to His plan and to His gospel. When we show Heavenly Father this, He can bless us more immensely that we ever imagined.

Second, Satan isn't getting complacent, so why should we? Satan is going to try his best to get every person that he can. He wants to make us miserable like he is, and he is not giving up. Every day there is something new, something that Satan has planted to try to get us to waver. It may change form, but he is always there. Sooo, if Satan isn't going to be giving up anytime soon, wouldn't we want to be the strongest that we can be? This is where the choice comes in. By choosing to believe every, single day, we are made so much stronger by that renewed belief, rather than relying solely on a single experience from a long time ago.

Third, there is a sense of power and purpose in doing something everyday, committing to believe once again, even if it's only for 24 hours. This renewed faith acts as an anchor while we travel through the storms and waves of life.

I am convinced that belief is not, CANNOT, be passive. It is choice that we must make every single day. We cannot wait until tomorrow. It may be too late. The time is now and we must act.

TODAY, I choose to trust God. TODAY, I choose to turn to my Heavenly Father and to rely on Him TODAY, I choose to look for His hand in my life. TODAY, I choose to follow Him. TODAY, I choose to believe.