Anyway, my home teachers were stressing the importance of having a testimony, and being willing and ready to share it at any moment. Before I joined the church, I had a vague idea of what a testimony was. I thought that testimony only meant to share my conversion to the gospel, or how I found faith in Jesus Christ. However, since joining the true church, I have come to realize that it means so much more.
Having a testimony means having proof or knowledge that something is true. The way that people can gain testimonies comes in many different forms. I know that I have gained my testimonies through the gift of the Holy Ghost. The day after I got baptized, I received the gift of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is important to help guide and direct our lives, to comfort us in times of trouble, and to show validity of different things. These are just some of the roles that the Holy Ghost can have in people's lives. Before I got baptized, I was fervently seeking through the Book of Mormon, trying to determine for myself whether or not it was true. I would read it daily, and pray right afterwards. I would pray directly to God, asking if it was true. I needed to find out for myself if it was true or not. There was no way I was going to take somebody else's views on it.
With my background, I have been taught to question things, to thoroughly seek out answers. This is why I love science so much: there are many mysteries of the wonderful universe that God has created, and we can learn about them through science. So, during my investigation I would ask my LDS friends so many questions. I wanted to completely understand the doctrine before joining.
The more I read about the Book of Mormon, the more I realized the truth of it all. I mean, just looking at it and it's background, there is no way that a young boy with a third-grade education could have made that up on his own. No, not at all. It was inspired, and it was inspired of God. Just like how prophets of old received direct revelation, Joseph Smith received revelation and was able to translate the gold plates. It wasn't until that day I mentioned when I was talking with the elders, did I finally admit out loud that I knew the Book of Mormon was, and is, true. Reading through it, seeing how it directly ties in to the Bible, and how the doctrine is consistent, is amazing. That was how I first gained my testimony of the Book of Mormon.
I have gained testimonies about other things in my life as well. I have a testimony that President Thomas S. Monson is a Prophet of God, and that he receives direct revelations from God. I realized that during General Conference, back in October 2012 when I heard him speak for the first time. The Holy Spirit gave me such a strong witness of that fact. I will never forget the way I felt.
I also have a testimony concerning the power of the Priesthood on Earth. The Priesthood was re-established on Earth through people of old. The Aaronic Priesthood was re-established by John the Baptist to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, and later on the Melchizedek Priesthood was re-established by Peter, James and John to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery. Through these various Priesthoods, the saving ordinances have been re-established and many blessings have flowed from the Priesthood. I have had such positive experiences with how the Priesthood has played a role in my life. It's thanks to the Priesthood that I was baptized, received the gift of the Holy Ghost, and received various blessings, for comfort and healing, at various stages of my recent conversion. And knowing of the joy and comfort of what the Priesthood has to offer to me in my life, is so wonderful. The Priesthood has, and will continue to, do many great and powerful things on this Earth.
I have a very strong testimony on the power of the Atonement. I have not had a spotless past, and there are some regrets that I have. However, none of it matters anymore, and this is all thanks to the power of the Atonement. Because Jesus Christ offered up Himself as a perfect sacrifice for all the sins of the world, I can repent and be pure again. Pure and perfectly clean. To give an example of this, let me quote my best friend, "A brand new book! It can be compared to text books, or scriptures. You use them, wisely or poorly, you make marks, highlight, and take notes in them. Then your book becomes old and tattered (scarred). You, naturally, desire to get a new one; a fresh start. So, you get a new book. And it's awesome! You now have a brand new fresh book! Yes, the marks in the old book still happened; and you learned a lot from them. But they no longer clutter your pages. Also, you can remark the really good things and add new insights that you couldn't before fit on that page!....You've been given a new book through Christ's infinite Atonement and baptism by Priesthood authority!" I think he does a better way at describing the power of Atonement than I ever could. But, he's also a writer, so he has that skill. :)
So, I would challenge those who read this blog to further strengthen their testimonies. Testimonies exist, and are strengthened through the Holy Spirit. They are essential truths that are important to our lives. Let me close out this section by sharing my testimony with you:
I would like to bear my testimony. I believe that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God, that he saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and spoke with them. I believe that Thomas S. Monson is our current Prophet today. I believe that the Book of Mormon is true, and that by reading and studying it along with the Bible, we can learn more essential truths. The reason why I believe, and know all of this is because I have had the Holy Spirit testify of this to me, personally, in my heart. That is me. That is what I believe, and I have been blessed by these truths in many ways.
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