Strength Through the Exercise of Faith

My friend Matthew Putegnat shared some really profound thoughts on the exercise of faith recently.  I asked if I could share them publicly.  So grateful for his insight and willingness to share.

Exercise and Practice

“So, I want you to associate the thoughts that you will have while I tell you a story with these 2 words:

Exercise and Practice

We know what exercise is. And we know what practice is. People exercise in a gym, on the sidewalk, in their homes, in the water. They exercise to keep healthy and strong, to get or to stay in shape. For practice, think maybe soccer practice, baseball practice, piano practice, hula practice, yoga practice. Practice is something we do regularly. Practice is regular exercise, sometimes with a team.

I want to talk story with you for a bit. I will use my wife as an example. A number of you have seen a video of my wife recently in the gym. On her birthday this week, she achieved a goal that one year ago was scarcely imaginable. However, with daily effort, exercise, and practice she achieved her goal, and in so doing achieved many other fringe benefits from the effort.

Each day, at 5:30 the alarm goes off and she gets up quietly and gets dressed. Then she comes and scratches my back to say goodbye as she heads off to the gym. She has been doing this for two years. But after her first year, Cathy felt frustrated to not be able to do even a single standard pushup. Doing a pushup became a goal for her.  As a milestone birthday approached, she set a goal to do 50 pushups. (As a disclaimer now this number, 50, has nothing to do with my wife’s age which, I’m told, may actually be under 30.)

Goals and Practice

Cathy used the examples of others in this daily practice of exercise. There were many examples online that taught her the correct technique for each of the things she did in the weight room and in the machine room. There were trainers at the gym to help her also, including Anna Kemp who is awesome!

I remember how frustrated Cathy was that she was unable to do a pushup after 1 year of working out. She hadn’t trained for pushups specifically, but still, she was lifting weights and gaining strength.

Then, however, she set a GOAL to do 50 pushups by her next birthday. And here we are 1 year later, goal achieved. I am still amazed. I asked Cathy if she wanted me at the gym, but no need. When I saw the video, I actually cried. I was so happy for her.

Cathy’s thoughts as she accomplished her goal:

This happened this morning. A year ago I set a goal for myself. 50 push ups on my 50th. Here is the raw and uncut footage of the accomplishment of my goal! Some of it is not pretty – but I did it! Take aways for me –
1) Set goals, set a long-term goal, even one that seems a bit out of your reach! A year ago I could not even do 1 push up on my toes.
2) Set short term goals to reach your long-term goal
3) Tell someone about your goal. Accountability has been a huge thing for me this year. If I had not shared my goal there is a really good chance I may not have achieved it!
4) Start where you are!
5) Above all else, keep going! Don’t give up!

Exercise Faith

Now, let’s talk about Exercising Faith.

In Nephi, we find this him saying this to Laman and Lemuel

Yea, and how is it that ye have forgotten that the Lord is able to do all things according to his will, for the children of men, if it so be that they exercise faith in him? Wherefore, let us be faithful to him.

One of my favorite verses is in Alma 5.

And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?

Do ye exercise faith in the redemption of him who created you? Do you look forward with an eye of faith, and view this mortal body raised in immortality, and this corruption raised in incorruption, to stand before God to be judged according to the deeds which have been done in the mortal body?

I say unto you, can you imagine to yourselves that ye hear the voice of the Lord, saying unto you, in that day: Come unto me ye blessed, for behold, your works have been the works of righteousness upon the face of the earth?

Works. Works. They are exercises of Faith. They are the practices of Faith.

So do you see, faith without works is dead? An unexercised faith muscle has no strength. An unpracticed faith is a dead faith. Faith without practice is dead.

But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words.

The term “exercise faith” is used in the book of Alma by the prophet Alma 10 times.

These references in Ether and the Doctrine and Covenants are the Lord speaking. The term exercise faith is authored by the Savior.

And in that day that they shall exercise faith in me, saith the Lord, even as the brother of Jared did, that they may become sanctified in me, then will I manifest unto them the things which the brother of Jared saw, even to the unfolding unto them all my revelations, saith Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of the heavens and of the earth, and all things that in them are.

And it shall come to pass, that inasmuch as they are faithful, and exercise faith in me, I will pour out my Spirit upon them in the day that they assemble themselves together.

And inasmuch as you are diligent and humble, and exercise the prayer of faith, behold, I will soften the hearts of those to whom you are in debt, until I shall send means unto you for your deliverance.

Here we hear prophets and our Savior telling us to exercise faith.

Practices to Exercise Faith

So, what practices are a part of this kind of exercise? What practices constitute the WORKS we mentioned?

Sabbath Day observance is a weekly practice. For most people, this normally includes attendance at church, which includes, most importantly, the renewing of our covenants by partaking of the sacrament.

What other are other practices to exercise our faith?

There is prayer. There are many reasons why we might say a prayer in our practice—when one wakes up, before reading scriptures, after reading scriptures, meal times, at bedtime, before traveling, with our spouse, with our children, to being a meeting, to end a meeting, for a friend or family member, when preparing a talk, having a prayer in my heart while I give a talk. This list goes on and on.

Reading scriptures is a practice. Paying tithing is a practice. Fasting is a practice. Word of Wisdom obedience is a practice. Temple attendance is a regular practice. Genealogy is a practice. Service to others—you spourse, your children, your parents, your kindred dead, your community— is a practice. Missionary Service. Ministering. Service comes in so many wonderful forms.

Can you think of the types of service that you provide to others? What does it feel like to provide service to help someone? How does that make you feel?

Who can think of service without mentioning Mosiah 2:17?

And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.

These are clear-cut practices to exercise faith. The practices that we do are a big part of our exercising our faith.

The spiritual muscles that we build and strengthen will begin to sustain ourselves, thereafter giving us the ability to then reach out and help others. These practices give us spiritual muscle memory. The more we practice, the more we are trained to automatically respond to situations in a way that is consistent with our faith. And we can improve the more we practice.

Can you think of an improvement in your life that would help you to do your spiritual pushups? What would help build your spiritual muscle?

Not only will practices help build spiritual muscles, these practices will protect us. They will improve us. They will strengthen us. They will edify us. They will sanctify us. They will enable perfection in us. These practices will bring the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost.

Through these practices, we are prepared for inspiration and revelation for those things we have stewardship over. Each of these practices brings us closer to our Savior. As we come closer to Him, we become more like Him.

As my wife practiced, she became stronger. With her goal set, she exercised to achieve that goal.

Along the covenant path, there are goals. The Goal is testimony. The Goal is repentance. The Goal is obedience to the commandments. The Goal is baptism. The Goal is the gift of the Holy Ghost. The Goal is priesthood. The Goal is the Temple endowment and sealings to your spouse, to your children, to your parents.

The Goal is endurance. The Goal is exaltation, to receive all that the Father hath.

All of these goals I believe are only achievable with the exercise of Faith.

What goals along the covenant path remain for you? for your family? for those you visit or home teach? for those you teach in church?

Faith and Works

“They are they who received the testimony of Jesus, and believed on his name and were baptized after the manner of his burial, being buried in the water in his name, and this according to the commandment which he has given—

That by keeping the commandments they might be washed and cleansed from all their sins, and receive the Holy Spirit by the laying on of the hands of him who is ordained and sealed unto this power…”

I have added a word here to emphasize…

“And who overcome by EXERCISING faith, and are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, which the Father sheds forth upon all those who are just and true.

They are they who are the church of the Firstborn. They are they into whose hands the Father has given all things—”

A quick lesson on faith and works.

When I was a new convert, my first project happened to be extinguishing a brush fire at a honey house.  We rushed to extinguish flames.  As a new convert, I asked the missionaries who baptized me, “Why don’t we just pray to ask God to put out the fire?”  The missionaries taught me that you cannot just pray for the fire to be put out by God, you must do all you can also.

Exercise Your Faith

Exercise your faith by practicing your religion, by practicing the truths you have received. Set goals for growth in the Gospel, share your goals with those that you love. Heavenly Father supports you in your spiritual goals. To God, all things are spiritual.

The truth is that Cathy performs this exercise daily, the results are clear to see, and it is a wonderful example. We all have to exercise faith with regular practice as the daily grind of the job, the traffic, the kids, the economy, health issues, the world seem to close in all around us.

Ways we exercised faith in our home included scripture reading, attending church, prayer, and service.  We included our sons’ friends in the nightly practice when they visited our home and invited them to attend church and service opportunities with us. My sons’ friends started calling me MacDaddy RAPS (Read, Attend, Pray, and Serve) and still do to this day.

I love this church. I am grateful to be on this team. Though redemption is given individually, we cannot be redeemed alone. With my family and with the help of my greater Team, I have found spiritual strength as I repeatedly exercise my faith through regular practices.