Spiritual Self-Reliance: Developing a Personal Relationship with God
By Dennis Schleicher
We all know that agency is essential. But there’s more to it than just the freedom to make choices; having our testimony and developing a personal relationship with God can be even more critical.
Many of us start by relying on the testimonies of others: parents, missionaries, members, etc., but eventually, we need to become spiritually self-reliant and depend on ourselves for spiritual guidance.
This means having our testimony of who Jesus Christ is and what he has done for us. We need to rely on Him, not just others, to make it through this life with faith.
When I think about agency, I often also think about spiritual self-reliance. I cannot stress enough the importance of developing your testimony and the importance of having your relationship with God and knowing who he is to you. If you don’t know God, it will be pretty hard to believe in him.
Spiritual self-reliance is reaching a stage where our testimonies do not depend on the testimonies of others.
Most of us start our spiritual journeys with help from the testimonies of our parents, a missionary, or a member missionary. But eventually, we must nurture our testimonies to stand on their own.
The Lord has said, “It is my purpose to provide for my saints . . . but it must needs be done in mine own way” (Doctrine and Covenants 104:15, 16).
This is a promise that Heavenly Father will help take care of His children as they follow Him.
Self-reliance does not mean that we can accomplish or obtain anything we want. But if we are self-reliant, we believe that through the power of Christ and our effort, we can work for the spiritual and practical needs of life.
The closer we draw to Christ and the stronger our testimonies become, the more we can withstand when we are faced with trials or temptations.
We all can become more self-reliant. The self-reliance initiative is a great tool to help with this. I view self-reliance as going to the doctor for a check-up, meeting with my bishop, or ministering brothers.
It is essential to take time to do regularly. If you stop taking the time to change the oil on your car, your engine will begin to fail.
Likewise, if you stop taking the time to be spiritually self-reliant, your testimony will begin to fall.
I hope you can use your agency to nurture your testimonies and become spiritually self-reliant.
Agency is a blessing, and I am tickled pink when I see people use their agency to improve, grow, and treat others with Christlike love.
Agency is a blessing, and we can all become more spiritually self-reliant through the self-reliance initiative.
- This means regularly meeting with our bishop or ministering brothers, taking time for personal prayer and scripture study, and obeying God’s commandments.
- If we want to succeed in this life, we must become the master of our own choices.
- Testimonies can be changed and strengthened through regular self-reflection, study, and prayer.
Suppose we desire to strengthen our testimonies to don’t depend on others or past experiences for support. In that case, we need to take time out every day and become more spiritually independent.
Testimonies will give us the strength to overcome trials and temptations, which will make it easier for us to rely on God’s help through His atonement.
Testimonies can change as we progress if we nurture them with personal prayer and scripture study, regular church attendance, service projects or callings, attending institute classes, going back to school for religious education, and living the gospel principles.
As we become spiritually self-reliant, relying on our testimonies to help us through this life will be a piece of cake! :)
One of the most important spiritual principles is to not depend on others or past experiences for our testimonies. The more spiritually self-reliant we are, the stronger our testimony becomes.
It gives us strength in times of trials and temptations, which can increase God’s help through His atonement when it comes time to rely on Him again.
A strong testimony will change as you progress if you nurture them with;
1. Personal prayer.
2. Scripture study
3. Regular church attendance.
4. Service projects or callings.
You are attending institute classes, going back to school for religious education, and living gospel standards in your daily life.
The more spiritually self-reliant we are, the stronger our testimony becomes. It gives us strength in times of trials and temptations, which can increase God’s help through His atonement when it comes time to rely on Him again.
That’s why nurturing your spiritual development is so important — you need a strong testimony today if you hope for one tomorrow! How will you boost yours? Would you please subscribe to my blog and share it with friends?
Love,
Best-selling author of; Is He Nuts?: Why a Gay Man Would Become a Member of the Church of Jesus Christ
Instagram @DenSchleicher
