Who is your favorite super hero? Super heroes come from all over the place. Is it the Hulk? Gotta love that green rage monster with super strength. You might like Iron Man who's mind is like the internet. If you're a Disney Pixar fan, you'll put in your vote for the Incredibles. That family has powers ranging from invisibility to super speed. There's Super Man, Wonder Woman, Batman, Spider Man, and most importantly, Captain America (my personal favorite).
Whichever super hero you choose, they're probably your favorite because of their super power! Super strength, speed, invisibility, mind reading, and flying would all be great powers to have, but there is one much more powerful than all of them put together.
Faith. Such a simple five letter word that means different things to so many different people.
So what is faith? In the dictionary it says that faith is a system of religious belief. There are many people that I talk to over the course of a day that always tell me that they are of the "Christian faith" or of some other denomination.
Yep. The word 'faith' works in that context.
I think faith is so much more. I stand by what Boyd K. Packer says.
With complete faith in Jesus Christ, we can see miracles! There are plenty of great examples of miracles workers who first had faith in Christ.
In the Book of Ether from the Book of Mormon, the prophet Moroni does a great job summarizing some great examples of faith...
12. For if there be no faith among the children of men God can do no miracle among them; wherefore, he showed not himself until after their faith.
14. Behold, it was the faith of Nephi and Lehi that wrought the change upon the Lamanites, that they were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost.
15. Behold, it was the faith of Ammon and his brethren which wrought so great a miracle among the Lamanites.
16. Yea, and even all they who wrought miracles wrought them by faith, even those who were before Christ and also those who were after.
17. And it was by faith that the three disciples obtained a promise that they should not taste of death; and they obtained not the promise until after their faith.
18. And neither at any time hath any wrought miracles until after their faith; wherefore they first believed in the Son of God. (Ether 12:12-18)
Sweet. So how do we increase our faith enough to produce the miracles that we need in our own lives?
Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. (James 2:17-18)
It's not enough to just talk the talk. You've got to walk the walk! Faith is like a muscle. If you exercise it and use it, it grows and gets stronger. If don't use it, it's going to become weak and limp.
VS.
The young children in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sing a song about faith that compares faith to a seed. If you plant it, water it, and give it plenty of sunlight, it will grow into something beautiful!
Faith is knowing the sun will rise, lighting each new day.
Faith is knowing the Lord will hear my prayers each time I pray.
Faith is like a little seed:
If planted, it will grow.
Faith is a swelling within my heart.
When I do right, I know.
Faith is knowing I lived with God before my mortal birth.
Faith is knowing I can return when my life ends on earth.
Faith is trust in God above;
In Christ, who showed the way.
Faith is strengthened; I feel it grow
Whenever I obey.
Alma, a Book of Mormon prophet, said it better than anyone.
Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me. (Alma 32:28)
We can help our seeds of faith to grow by reading scriptures, praying and going to church on a regular basis. These are the small and simple things that will help our small seeds of faith grow into strong, powerful trees!
You know, I may not have super speed or strength, mind reading or invisibility. But I have a super power that's far greater than all of them! I have faith in Jesus Christ and His atonement! I can do anything! So I guess you could say I'm my own super hero.
