Faith vs. Fear

Choosing Hope

"That ye may know that ye must all stand before the judgment-seat of Christ, yea, every soul who belongs to the whole human family of Adam; and ye must stand to be judged of your works, whether they be good or evil;
And also that ye may believe the gospel of Jesus Christ, " - Mormon 3:20-21

As we near the end of the Book of Mormon, the Nephites begin to descend into wickedness that eventually leads to their final destruction. Their military leader, Mormon, was practically the only righteous person left in the entire civilization. As the people turned away from God, they became more susceptible to their enemies. For the first time, the Nephites retreated from the Lamanites due to fear (Mormon 2:3). They did not have faith in God or his gospel anymore.

While the entire Nephite civilization was dwindling in fear, Mormon displayed extreme faith in difficult circumstances. He lead the army of the Nephites until his death in battle, and he followed the commandments of the Lord. Mormon abridged the majority of The Book of Mormon for us in the latter-days. Mormon had faith in God and His purpose. He was sure of his calling and followed it to his ability.

In the quoted scripture, Mormon preaches how all men and women will stand before Christ at the judgement-seat someday. This statement incites either fear or faith in our hearts. Fear and faith are opposite reactions, and signify our standing with God. If we are full of fear like the late Nephites, we will retreat from our problems and not have God's assistance. When we exhibit fear, we reject God's commandments and turn to a mortal feeling of inadequacy. We need to be like Mormon and live with faith in God, and an eye single to His glory. If you have faith and be the person you are supposed to be, you will not fear the judgement seat or anything else. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love us and want our success in all endeavors. If we have faith and reach out to them, they will aid and assist us.

In the 2nd epistle of Paul to Timothy, Paul says that "God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7). I testify that this is true. When we have faith in God and cast out all fear, He will empower us and lift our burdens. Additionally, when we do this we can return to Him without fear of inadequacy, and know that we are home with our Father.