Doctrine and Covenants 112: 28, 15, 7, 10, 13

 

How can we keep our trials from threatening our faith and testimony?

"28 But purify your hearts before me; and then go ye into all the world, and preach my gospel unto every creature who has not received it;" (Doctrine and Covenants 112: 28)

"15 Exalt not yourselves; rebel not against my servant Joseph; for verily I say unto you, I am with him, and my hand shall be over him; and the keys which I have given unto him, and also to youward, shall not be taken from him till I come" (Doctrine and Covenants 112: 15)

"7 Therefore, gird up thy loins for the work. Let thy feet be shod also, for thou art chosen, and thy path lieth among the mountains, and among many nations." (Doctrine and Covenants 112: 7)

"10 Be thou humble; and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand, and give thee answer to thy prayers." (Doctrine and Covenants 112: 10)

"13 And after their temptations, and much tribulation, behold, I, the Lord, will feel after them, and if they harden not their hearts, and stiffen not their necks against me, they shall be converted, and I will heal them." (Doctrine and Covenants 112: 13)

And here's the introductory commentary for this week's reading assignment: "October 6–12: “I Will Order All Things for Your Good” Doctrine and Covenants 111–114" : 

"Have you ever had a spiritual experience that made you feel confident and secure in your faith in Christ—but then life’s afflictions tried your faith, and you found yourself struggling to recover the peace you felt before? Something similar happened to the Saints in Kirtland. Less than a year after the spiritual outpourings connected with the dedication of the Kirtland Temple, troubles arose. A financial crisis, conflict in the Quorum of the Twelve, and other trials caused some Saints to waver in their faith despite their earlier experiences.

We can’t avoid trials, so how can we keep them from threatening our faith and testimony? Maybe part of the answer can be found in the Lord’s counsel in Doctrine and Covenants 112, given while adversity in Kirtland was swelling. The Lord said, “Purify your hearts before me” (verse 28), “Rebel not” (verse 15), “Gird up thy loins for the work” (verse 7), and “Be thou humble” (verse 10). As we follow this counsel, the Lord will “lead [us] by the hand” through adversity and into healing and peace (see verses 10, 13)."

When we choose to purify our hearts before the Lord, rebel not, gird up our loins for the work, and be humble, we keep our trials from threatening our faith and testimony because the Lord is able to "lead us by the hand" through our adversity and into healing and peace.