Planting a Delicious Seed

I was reading in Alma 32 and wanted to share with you some of my thoughts. Look at verse 27:

But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words.

This is the beginning of testimony, just a desire to believe. It sometimes seems foolish to believe something that I cannot see. But, when anyone does it with real intent and a sincere heart something wonderful happens! Look at verse 28:

28 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.

This is how I felt about the church and the gospel when I was a teenager. The doctrine tasted delicious!

29 Now behold, would not this increase your faith? I say unto you, Yea; nevertheless it hath not grown up to a perfect knowledge.

To simply believe will bring a good feeling. To exercise faith will bring it even more. Then comes repentance (turning away) from anything that make that good feeling withdraw. Skepticism will sometimes enters into our hearts. We can become cynical. Here's what Alma says:

38 But if ye neglect the tree, and take no thought for its nourishment, behold it will not get any root; and when the heat of the sun cometh and scorcheth it, because it hath no root it withers away, and ye pluck it up and cast it out.

We need to continue working on your testimony using the pattern above. I still make alot of mistakes and say stupid things - but, I know many things to be true regarding the church and the gospel of Jesus Christ. I also believe many things to be true. I let go or put aside the rest.