What does the Average Humble Follower of Christ Experience?

I have read the Book of Mormon many times over many years.  I have come across numerous verses that spoke of signs, wonders and miracles following the believer.  Until recently I thought that this must be a very special person, perhaps the chosen few.  While I was reading 2 Nephi I came across one of these verses. Nephi tells us in 2 Nephi 26:13,

And that he manifesteth himself unto all those who believe in him, by the power of the Holy Ghost; yea, unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, working mighty miracles, signs, and wonders, among the children of men according to their faith.

And it came to me!  I have been having these kind of manifestations from God my whole life.  As my faith grows they have been more frequent.  I realize now these tender mercies keep me going along the gospel path.  Sometimes the miracles, signs and wonders are small and I am barely aware of them. And at other times the manifestations are more grand.

I then came across this verse in Jacob 4:6:

Wherefore, we search the prophets, and we have many revelations and the spirit of prophecy; and having all these witnesses we obtain a hope, and our faith becometh unshaken, insomuch that we truly can command in the name of Jesus and the very trees obey us, or the mountains, or the waves of the sea.

I realized that Christian faith is evidence-based faith!  The only way for us to obtain a hope is to have spiritual witnesses.  These come to us as revelations and the spirit of prophecy.  Nephi called them signs, wonders and miracles.  So, the witnesses (evidences) cause us to gain a hope (in Christ) and this hope + witnesses causes our faith to become unshaken.

What do I do if I am not seeing signs, wonders and miracles in my life?  We work on getting closer to God.  How might I do this?  Perhaps we exercise faith unto repentance.  Perhaps we just begin to believe in Christ (Alma 33).  Perhaps we become very humble and submissive to God.  Ask God what you ought to be doing.  He will tell you through the still, small voice of the Holy Ghost. He knows you are a beginner and will give you small things to do.  Come and fear not (Alma 7:15).  God is good and loves you.  Once we exert ourselves to follow Christ something wonderful begins to happen.  We feel connected to God.  The Spirit starts to guide us.  The seed (Alma 32) begins to swell in our hearts.  This always happens.

What has happened is the great plan of redemption has immediately been brought about to you:

Yea, I would that ye would come forth and harden not your hearts any longer; for behold, now is the time and the day of your salvation; and therefore, if ye will repent and harden not your hearts, immediately shall the great plan of redemption be brought about unto you. (Alma 34:31)

What does immediate mean?  I believe it means that grace has entered your soul.  We are saved by grace!  As we continuously look for ways to deny ourselves all ungodliness and come unto Christ through repentance and loving service, we become perfect in Christ (Moroni 10:32).  We remain perfect in Christ as we continue to exert ourselves.  We fall from this when we get slothful.  But, what's wonderful is that as we continue forward God continues to bless us.  These evidences increase our faith.  Our love grows deeper for our Savior.  The gospel tastes delicious to us.

By grace we are saved after all we can do.  All we can do is exert ourselves to be better, to always remember Christ in all that we do, repenting when we make mistakes and believe.  We are constantly saved by grace if we are striving to do good!

Here’s the pattern to begin to receive assurances.

1.       Believe in Christ.  Humble yourself.  Put all your trust in Him.  Rely only on His merits.  Recognize your unworthiness at all times.

2.       Repent.  This is humbling yourself again casting off pride and fixing any of the basic commandments that you are deficient in.

3.       Worship Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ by partaking of the Sacrament with real intent.  Ask for cleansing.

4.       Sincerely ask for the Holy Ghost.  Ask for the gifts of the Spirit that you need. 

This is the pattern.

The Deceitfulness of Riches

Jacob talks of the rich and learned that are proud in 2 Nephi 9:42.  I can't stop but wonder who Jacob's readership is.  It can only be Latter Day Saints and investigators.  That's all who read the Book of Mormon.  So, I conclude that this means that he is talking to Mormons.  I wonder what a Mormon who is rich or learned is thinking when he or she reads this passage:

And whoso knocketh, to him will he open; and the wise, and the learned, and they that are rich, who are puffed up because of their learning, and their wisdom, and their riches—yea, they are they whom he despiseth; and save they shall cast these things away, and consider themselves fools before God, and come down in the depths of humility, he will not open unto them.

So, I am reading this passage.  I ask myself the question, have I passed through the gate?  Has Christ opened up to me?  I have two options - yes he has or no he hasn't.  If I answer yes, what evidence do I have that the Holy One of Israel has opened the gate?  Have I been baptized by fire?  Do I have the Holy Ghost as my constant companion?  Have I received Justification?  If I can't provide myself these evidences than the answer is no.  That doesn't mean that I am bad.  It just means that I haven't passed through this gate.

I might then ask myself if I could be considered puffed up by the Lord?  I am rich or I am learned or I am both?  Do I identify with my riches or my learnedness?  Do I believe who I am (my identity) is based on my riches or being learned?  If so, I am running under the natural man.  Egoic states possess my consciousness.  I want my riches and learnedness more than I want my God.

How I would I know if this is true?  Well, I definitely haven't cast off my riches. I still have them. Perhaps I can keep my riches, but be a good steward over them.  What would that look like?  Could it mean to give away my surplus riches?  Do I make a mock of my brothers and sisters by showing off my wealth by what I wear and drive?  Do I show off my riches in the house I choose to live in? Why might this be considered mocking my brethren?  Surely this can't be so!  My poor brothers and sisters should just be humble and admire my things.  They should learn not to covet and envy.  This is sin. You are exactly right, but what else does this blatant inequality do among believers?  Temporal equality is a tenet of gospel of Christ.  It brings a sense of unity, of common purpose for a Stake of Zion.  What example does having rich and poor in a Stakes of Zion give to everyone especially our youth? Perhaps, that we give lip service only - to the cause of Christ and Zion.

How would I know if I am puffed up and proud? I am grateful to God, (like a wicked Zoromite?), that he has blessed me more than others and I thank him (that I am better off than others).  I wear, drive and live in - expensive things.  If I am not proud then what am I?  Highly blessed by God above other people, has to be my answer.  Oh, the deceitfulness of riches!  I have to decide whether I am humble rich or proud rich.  Am I humble rich wearing, driving and living above everyone else?  Yes, that must be it!  The person writing this essay is an idiot.  All is well in Zion! Let's read this scripture:

And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well—and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell.

And behold, others he flattereth away, and telleth them there is no hell; and he saith unto them: I am no devil, for there is none—and thus he whispereth in their ears, until he grasps them with his awful chains, from whence there is no deliverance. 2 Nephi 28:21-22)

 We rich Mormons might be deceived by our riches.  Read this:

And I know that ye do walk in the pride of your hearts; and there are none save a few only who do not lift themselves up in the pride of their hearts, unto the wearing of very fine apparel, unto envying, and strifes, and malice, and persecutions, and all manner of iniquities; and your churches, yea, even every one, have become polluted because of the pride of your hearts. 

For behold, ye do love money, and your substance, and your fine apparel, and the adorning of your churches, more than ye love the poor and the needy, the sick and the afflicted.

Why do ye adorn yourselves with that which hath no life, and yet suffer the hungry, and the needy, and the naked, and the sick and the afflicted to pass by you, and notice them not? (Mormon 8:36-37, 39)

What can I do, if I am rich, to show my faith and love for my God?  How do I get through the eye of the needle and get to heaven?  How do I show my devotion to God and the cause of Zion?  I don't want to lift up my head with the wicked in hell?  See D&C 104:18:

Therefore, if any man shall take of the abundance which I have made, and impart not his portion, according to the law of my gospel, unto the poor and the needy, he shall, with the wicked, lift up his eyes in hell, being in torment.

This tells me to impart my portion. The more rich I am, the more generous I am to be.  Maybe, over time, I might even decide to live like the rest of human kind in a modest home, driving a modest car and wearing comely apparel.  But, for now, I think I will just give a lot to the poor.  When I gain that  hope in Christ I will even more compelled to do the following:

Think of your brethren like unto yourselves, and be familiar with all and free with your substance, that they may be rich like unto you. (Jacob 2:17)

Now there's a principle to be followed!  But, it take time to extricate one's self from our wicked traditions.

But, I am a Mormon.  I have a hope in Christ! Look what a person with a hope in Christ does:

And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good—to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted. (Jacob 2:19)

My riches (and my ability to produce riches) are a gift like any other gift - to be used to give God glory - not for self-aggrandizement.  When I live this principle, considering myself a fool before God, then God will open the gate and permit me to pass through.

But, if not....

But the things of the wise and the prudent shall be hid from them forever—yea, that happiness which is prepared for the saints. (2 Nephi 9:43)

That happiness of the saints will be hidden from me forever.