Gospel Principles
Unit 6: The Gospel of Jesus Christ
Chapter 18: Faith in Jesus Christ
Concept 3.1: How Can We Increase Our Faith in Jesus Christ? (split in two parts, very long section.)
"Knowing of the many blessings that come through exercising faith in Jesus Christ, we should seek to increase our faith in him. The Savior said, "if ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed,... nothing shall be impossible unto you" (Matthew 17:20). A mustard seed is very small, but grows into a large tree.
How can we increase our faith? The same way we increase or develop any other skill. How do we develop skills in woodcarving, weaving, painting, cooking, making pottery or playing a musical instrument? We study and practice and work at it. As we do so, we improve. So it is with faith. If we want to increase our faith in Jesus Christ, we must work at it. The Prophet Alma compared increasing our faith to planting a Seed:
"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 you 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.
"Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea ...
Now behold, would not this increase your faith?" (Alma 32:27-29).
So we can increase our faith in God by acting on our desire to have faith in him."