New series: I have a testimony of (insert here)

​As I mentioned in this post, I'm starting a new series. It's called "I have a testimony of (insert here)" and I will be posting whenever I think of a new topic to post on. I know I would fail at doing a once-a-week type series, so I'm not gonna even try. And I might repeat topics every once in a while; bear with me :)

To start off the entire series, I would like you to read this article by the Church, about the concept of a testimony.

So today, I have a testimony of testimonies :) it's not something one usually bears their testimony about, but I know from experience that it can be a confusing concept to non-members.

In case you were too lazy to read the article, here's LDS.org's definition of a testimony:

A testimony is a spiritual witness given by the Holy Ghost. The foundation of a testimony is the knowledge that Heavenly Father lives and loves His children; that Jesus Christ lives, that He is the Son of God, and that He carried out the infinite Atonement; that Joseph Smith is the prophet of God who was called to restore the gospel; that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Savior's true Church on the earth; and that the Church is led by a living prophet today.

Because I have a testimony, I can say "I know this Church is true" and mean it, with every fiber of my being. I'm not just repeating back phrases I've been "brainwashed" to say - I really mean it.

No two people bear their testimonies the same way, but they do generally contain similar elements, as the quote above outlines. I know that a person really can have a testimony. Not just a testimony, but a strong testimony. I know that the way to "get" a testimony is to study the scriptures and pray. See Moroni 10:4-5

4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.
5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.

That's how you get a testimony. It might not come right away - goodness knows mine didn't - but it'll come, if "ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ" (Moroni 10:4-5). That means you can't ask because you want to prove the Book of Mormon wrong. That means you have to actually want to know if the Church is true, and you want to know for yourself, not because someone else told you to ask so you're asking to make them happy. 

Image source

If you're like me, and you're a convert-in-progress, you might want to learn as much as you possibly can about the church at the same time that you're reading the scriptures and praying. Cuz knowledge is awesome, and He will help you to learn more if you're making an effort. But please, if you're going to use the internet to do your learning, stick with official church sites (found on my sidebar underneath my blog button). Satan "has internet access," too, and you don't want to read his lies about us. 

If you were born a member of the church, you should also learn as much as you possibly can about the church because then you'll be an awesome member missionary. And also, read your scriptures and pray! When in doubt, those two actions are the answers to everything!!

One other concept I came across when writing this post was that one's testimony should not be based solely on the Church itself. Oftentimes, we focus on knowing the Church is true. But it's more important to know that we have a Heavenly Father who loves us, to know of the power of the Atonement, to know that Christ really did come to Earth and that He will come again. I don't usually focus on that portion of my testimony (and you might notice that if you go back and re-read the beginning of this post), but now I'm going to :)

And thus concludes the first post in my new series! :)

See previous Testimony posts here (cuz I've used the tag "testimony" before, so I may as well include those as part of the series)

And I think I shall link to other bloggers' awesome testimony posts.

• Eliza's at Mark This Day 
• Dani's at Let Your Light Shine 

If you have a "testimony" label and you'd like to appear on this list, comment or email me at hopealwaysandprayconstantly@gmail.com and I'll add you! Also, if you don't have a "testimony" (or something similar) label, you should create one!

<3 Marie-Rose​

PS I've never had so many technical difficulties when writing and publishing a post. I had to fight with blogger for a very long time, and that's not even factoring in the time it took to write the content.

Also PS I highly recommend you read this: Gaining a Testimony

Also also PS I get baptized 3 months from today. I'm so excited you have no idea :D