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.