1 Nephi 2:16 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, being exceedingly young, nevertheless being large in stature, and also having great desires to know of the mysteries of God, wherefore, I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father; wherefore, I did not rebel against him like unto my brothers.
There it is in one verse of the Book of Mormon, the great, exemplar Nephi gives us the formula for spiritual success.
- Be Childlike: Over and over in the scriptures we hear the Lord tell us to be like a child. Why? Because children are willing to listen, learn, and then do. This is exactly who Nephi was from a young age, until adulthood. He turned to his father, and ultimately to God for direction and then followed with exactness.
- Desire to follow and understand God: Alma tells us that with a simple desire God can build incredible faith. That’s where these two come together–the desire to follow God like a child and then turn his will over to God’s will is the key to being able to hear, see, and know spiritual truths and mysteries.
- Pray—Seek—Ponder—Ask: With that desire, Nephi turns fully to God. He prays and asks for increased understanding and knowledge. This is a regular practice for Nephi, because he wants to follow God, therefore, it is important to know for himself what God wants him to do.
- Believe: This is key. We have two forces whispering in our ears, trying to persuade us to follow them. The Holy Ghost is softly testifying of eternal truths—diligently working to lead us towards Christ. Satan is loudly screaming doubts and worries in our ears, and mixing untruth with truth to confuse us—so we wander off the path. If we will believe the Lord and then trust him to fill in the gaps line upon line, then Satan’s screams will blow by us unnoticed.
- Do: Nephi always responded with complete faith and trust. His motto in life was I will go and do the things the Lord commands. He always intended to ask and respond. He trusts God to provide a way to accomplish those difficult things that God would ask. He truly believes that God would not ask him to fail, but would guide him to succeed.
With these simple 5 steps Nephi has given us the perfect tools to be a disciple of Christ in all places, at all times and in all things.
MOTTO FOR LIFE
I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them. (1 Nephi 3:7)
-Written by Sherri Jorgensen
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