Faith in Jesus Christ is the Answer to Fear

That was incredibly well done.

I’m so happy to be here with you. Truly, this is my first time at Ensign College, and it’s an easy place to fall in love with, and I’m grateful to be with you.

I’d like to share with you all a particularly embarrassing moment from my past. While in high school, I went with some friends late one night to a particularly spooky barn. The moon was full; the sky was occasionally crossed by imaginary bats, I’m sure. The trees were eerie on the path up to the barn. And I wasn’t the only one that was nervous, because a girl in our friend group came over and grabbed my arm.Yeah.Instantly, my brain had other emotions to process other than fear. And while trying not to show my own nerves—and simultaneously flexing the arm being held. (laughter) You’ve been there. It happens—we got closer and closer to the barn.
Once we entered the barn—remember, a barn that could be in a scary movie—the young lady started going up a ladder, and as soon as she did that, two of my friends jumped out of a stall, yelling. Well, my body responded on instinct, and I found myself taking flight out of the barn, halfway down to where our cars were at, before I heard her screams. And if you’re wondering, I ran faster than sound, it appears, because of how far I’d made it. I still remember the walk—I really do. I remember the walk back up to the now-not-so-scary barn, met with the laughter of my two friends and met with some shame—a little bit of shame—for abandoning that sweet young woman. It’s made for a comical memory for me to reflect on from time to time.

Now, why am I sharing with you all a silly memory of a young man’s folly? Well, it’s to articulate that when we fear—and if we specifically act out of fear—it can have detrimental effects on our lives. In our lives today, we are inundated with situations, people, and events that can cause fear that are much more serious than a teenage visit to a barn. From fear of failing, a fear of losing loved ones, fear of judgment for mistakes made, fear of being alone and sad, fear of rejection, fear of the unknown, fear of uncertainty, fear of not measuring up—everyone’s like, “Please stop going.” Like, if I didn’t have those fears, maybe I’m adding a few more that you should have had. The list is as diverse as we are, but each one has the potential to hold us back from our potential as sons and daughters of God if we let them.

Now, fear isn’t a new thing. Everyone from Adam and Eve¹ to you and I have experienced feelings of fear, but it seems like currently there’s a prevalent pandemic of fear. I’ve noticed a trend in the scriptures when people have shown fear. In the moments of fear, the messenger—whether it be an angel or God Himself—reminds us of Jesus Christ. This is the solution to all of our fears as well. It’s Jesus.

Remember, turn to, run to, reconcile with, and covenant with Jesus Christ. For example, when the angel sent to announce the birth of Christ sees that the shepherds are “sore afraid.”² They’re so afraid, and an angel’s coming to them at work—he says unto them, “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”³ Why should they not be scared? Because Jesus is born—a newborn baby. Newborns aren’t particularly known for being super protectors. But this is no ordinary baby. He is the Son of God—the Only Begotten Son of God. They don’t need to fear because Jesus lives!

I’m going to address the fears that I mentioned earlier in an attempt to help us see how knowing, trusting, and covenanting with Jesus Christ removes fear. But please remember: if we don’t address your fear today, the answer is still the same. It’s our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Let’s start with one fear that many of us feel—especially students and young adults: fear of failure. This fear could manifest itself into you fearing serving a mission, dating, college, starting a family, starting or preparing for a new job, raising a family, finances—the list is innumerable. And if you are young, thinking that you can outgrow these fears, I have news for you: these fears don’t go away. They change or take different shapes. The fears in my 40s look and feel differently than my fears did in my teens and my 20s, but they’re still fear. And I’m convinced it will be so until I graduate from this life. So it is incredibly important that we are grounded in the principle of faith in Jesus Christ because, although our fears change, the answer does not.

Let’s look at what Paul teaches us: “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed.”⁴ I love that Paul isn’t sugarcoating things. We are troubled. We are perplexed. We are persecuted. And we are cast down. Yet because of Jesus Christ, we are not in despair, or forsaken, or destroyed. Thanks to the perspective that God gives us, we are eternal. When we recognize that we are eternal, we are either winning or learning. There is no losing with the perspective of Jesus Christ and His glorious plan of redemption.

Remember Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. King Nebuchadnezzar is going to throw them into the fire, and their response to him shows that they understand the principle that we’re talking about. I’m in awe of their fearless response toward Nebuchadnezzar. They said, “we are not careful to answer thee.” I love that approach. We’re not going to sugarcoat it either. We’re not going to be careful how we say this: “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship thy golden image which thou hast set up.”⁵

They aren’t scared of failure in the form of burning because their faith isn’t dependent on results; it is dependent on Jesus Christ. I invite you to consider this question: Is your faith in Jesus Christ, or is it in outcomes you think you want?

When we trust in Jesus Christ, we don’t fear failure, because with Him there is no failure. In Christ, there is rescue, there’s perspective, there’s peace, there’s joy, there’s education, and there’s growth. Can you imagine what went through their minds as they were tossed into that fire? I don’t know what they felt and what they didn’t feel, but the scriptures teach us that they “fell down into the midst of the burning.”⁶ Can you imagine that? And then they had the visitor with them in the flames that was in the “form of the Son of God.”⁷ Those three are such great examples to us to not fear failure. The only failure in life and in the next is choosing to not be with Jesus Christ.

Elder Gary Stevenson has counseled us this way:
“I have a bit of bad news to share. If you… move forward with bold faith, you are going to have a few failures in your life. You are going to take a few scrapes and bruises. There will be dark patches on the road ahead. But you are sons and daughters of God. As such, you have an inexhaustible divine source of strength burning inside of you. ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of a sound mind.’ (2 Timothy 1:7). ‘Wherefore, be of good cheer and do not fear, for I, the Lord, am with you and will stand by you.’(D&C 68:6)” Elder Stevenson concludes with these hopeful words: “Let the knowledge of who you truly are, and who is on your side, burn away your fear of failure. With God as your Father, no failure will be final.”⁸

There is no need for you to fear failure when you bind yourself to Jesus Christ because, one, He is a God of infinite chances; and, two, He has made the playing field one of growth and progression through Him.

Another fear that weighs heavily on many of us isn’t about what we do, but how we feel: loneliness and isolation.

Mother Teresa said, “Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty.”⁹ I don’t believe anyone escapes the pain of feeling lost and alone—whether it comes from family problems, mental health challenges, loss, social barriers, life transitions, bullying, or any number of challenges that are inherent in this fallen world we live in. So, what are we to do? What’s the answer?

Matthew records the Savior teaching, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”¹⁰ “Ye shall find rest unto your souls.” What a promise from Jesus Christ! This has given me strength in my loneliest of times. Only He can keep the promise never to abandon. He’s the only one. As well-intentioned as family and loved ones are, they cannot do what God does. I love how the psalmist states, “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put your confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put your confidence in princes.”¹¹ I am yoked with Him, and that eliminates fear.

So, how does He help us? Here are just a few of the gifts of God to help buoy us up in times of loneliness. This is not all-inclusive, but it’s just some that I’ve particularly been blessed with.

First, prayer. President James E. Faust taught us that: “No earthly authority can separate us from direct access to our Creator. There can never be an electronic or mechanical failure when we pray. There is no limit on the number of times or how long we can pray each day. There is no quota of how many needs we wish to pray for in each prayer. We do not need to go through secretaries or make an appointment to reach the throne of grace. He is reachable at any time and any place.”¹² Nothing and no one—I repeat, nothing and no one—can get in the way of you talking to your Father in Heaven and you can talk about anything as much as you want. Talk to Him! Moses said it this way: “the Lord spake unto (me) face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.”¹³ Talk to Him! We can tend to put false restrictions on our prayers. Pour out your heart to Him. Pour out your heart to Him. He loves you deeper than you can comprehend, and He will hear and bless you.

Second, the gift of the Holy Ghost. President Wilford Woodruff said this:
“If you have the Holy Ghost with you… I can say unto you that there is no greater gift, there is no greater blessing, there is no greater testimony given to any man on earth. You may have administration of angels; you may see many miracles; you may see many wonders on this earth; but I claim that the gift of the Holy Ghost is the greatest gift that can be bestowed upon man.”¹⁴ We often cry out for someone to help us, pleading for angels—earthly or heavenly—possibly forgetting that our loving Heavenly Father has already given us a Friend—the Holy Ghost. A member of the Godhead. The Comforter,¹⁵ the Rememberer,¹⁶ the Teacher,¹⁷ the Revealer,¹⁸ the Judger,¹⁹ and Guider.²⁰ I can see why President Woodruff stated that this gift of the Godhead is “the greatest gift” and why our dear President Nelson has pled with us to receive the Holy Ghost into our lives. He taught us, “If you have not yet sought for the ministering of the Holy Ghost to help you hear what the Lord would have you hear… I invite you to do so now.”²¹ If you missed that prophetic invitation when it was given, I invite you to hear it now and seek the ministering of the Holy Ghost.

A third blessing from our God amid our loneliness is the knowledge of God’s love for us. One time I was sitting in sacrament meeting, throwing myself a pity party. I’ll have you know I was feeling lonely, and I was just feeling sorry for myself. I was trying hard to be good and do all the things that God had asked of me. I was tired. I was worn. I was close to tears, and I said a silent prayer—and, looking back, it was an audacious prayer, especially considering how good God has been to me. But I cried out in my heart that I wanted Him to show me that He loved me and that He saw me in my efforts. I was lonely, and I asked Him for a sign of His love. And during this pitiful prayer, a deacon handed me a tray full of bread—bread that represented Jesus Christ’s broken and torn flesh. I was instantly humbled, and the moment changed me. It reminded me that God’s love is not abstract—it is personal, constant, and always available through Jesus Christ. The act of Heavenly Father sending His Son, and His Son accomplishing His perfect, infinite, and eternal Atonement, is the greatest sign of love that has ever been given. I wanted a sign of God’s love, and He gave me the sacrament. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son.”²² 1 John 4 teaches us that “God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.”²³

I love the hymn that states—I won’t sing it, and I’m not like this good brother that sings so beautifully today—
“Tis sweet to sing the matchless love of Him who left His home above and came to earth—oh, wondrous plan— To suffer, bleed, and die for man!... For Jesus died on Calvary! that all thru Him might ransomed be. Then sing hosannas to His name; Let heaven and earth His love proclaim.”²⁴ We need to praise God for His gift! We are truly blessed and should feel to shout “hallelujah” and “hosanna” to proclaim His love!

Remember what we talked about at the beginning. Yes, there are things in this fallen world that are scary. But you don’t need to fear if you have Jesus Christ. If we don’t remember that we have Him with us, we can feel like the servant who was with Elisha, who, when he looked on the armies of the Syrians, was overwhelmed with fear. I’m confident he was feeling quite lonely when he saw the Syrian thousands. Elisha told the scared servant,
“Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. And Elisha prayed and said, Lord, I pray Thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw and beheld: the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.”²⁵

Just as Elisha’s servant felt alone and unaware of the divine help surrounding him, we too can feel the same way if we aren’t mindful of the incredible gifts God has given us to help us stay faithful instead of fearful. Jesus really is the answer to every fear.

Now that we’ve seen how Christ can help us with fears of failure and loneliness, let’s turn to some of those other fears that weigh heavily on our hearts..

Fear of losing loved ones. Psalm 107:14 teaches us, “He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder.”²⁶ As Paul taught, “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?”²⁷ Because of Jesus Christ, our family relationships can “be perpetuated beyond the grave.”²⁸

If it’s fear because you’ve sinned and made some mistakes. Think of the Anti-Nephi-Lehies, right before they experienced one of the most fear-inciting situations that you could possibly face—the imminent death of you and your family at the hands of your former brethren, they prayed. I’m in awe of their prayer:

“I also thank my God, yea, my great God, that He hath granted unto us that we might repent of these things, and also that He hath forgiven us of those our many sins and murders which we have committed, and taken away the guilt from our hearts, through the merits of His Son. And now, behold, my brethren, since it has been all that we could do, (as we were the most lost of all mankind) to repent of all our sins and the many murders which we have committed, and to get God to take them away from our hearts, for it was all we could do to repent sufficiently before God that He would take away our stain.”²⁹

He redeems us from hell and sin. God takes away the stain! Greatest news there ever was. You don’t need to fear. You just need to come to Jesus Christ.

Do you fear rejection? Then you need to get to know our God. Our God tells us, “Come unto Me, and ye shall have eternal life. Behold, Mine arm of mercy is extended towards you. And whosoever will come, him will I receive. And blessed are those who come unto Me.”³⁰ And He invites “all to come unto Him and partake of His goodness; and He denieth none that come unto Him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and He remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God.”³¹ Our God will not reject you. He loves you with a perfect love.

In fact, Elder Kearon recently taught us that not only will our God not reject us, but He is actually “in relentless pursuit of you.” And He “wants all of His children to choose to return to Him,” and He employs every possible measure to bring you back.”³² God will not reject you—so turn and come unto Him.

Do you fear the unknown? Let’s look at Joshua. He was called to be the prophet after Moses. Take a second and think about that. Moses is a Mount Rushmore prophet. It’s not called the Law of Joshua; it’s called the Law of Moses. And you’re the prophet after him. They find themselves finally in the promised land. What’s next? Look at what our God tells Joshua.

“Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”³³ There is an unknown, but it will be okay because the only thing you need to know is God. Jesus even said that “this is life eternal, that they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent.”³⁴
You should absolutely study your hardest and ponder and plan for a future—a future that is “as bright as your faith” in Jesus Christ³⁵ but don’t you forget that, out of all of the unknowns out there, you can know God—and that’s enough. That is enough.

Do you fear not measuring up, or being inadequate, or not being enough? You aren’t the only one. In fact, the list of those that have had that feeling is quite star-studded: the previously mentioned Joshua,³⁶ let’s not forget Moses,³⁷ Gideon,³⁸ Jeremiah,³⁹ Mary,⁴⁰ and Enoch,⁴¹ to name just a few. If you feel this way, you’re in good company. What was God’s response to these fearful souls? “I will be with thee.”⁴² “Be not afraid of their faces, for I am with thee to deliver thee.”⁴³ “Surely I will be with thee.”⁴⁴ “Fear not… for thou hast found favour with God.”⁴⁵ and “my Spirit is upon you, wherefore all thy words will I justify; and the mountains shall flee before you, and the rivers shall turn from their course; and thou shalt abide in me, and I in you; therefore, walk with me.”⁴⁶ Please give yourselves more grace. God spoke to these fearful children with love, peace, and support and He speaks to you the same way. He loves you, and He will support and sustain you. It’s not so much about if YOU measure up—it's more about how, with God, you are enough because He is God! You might not have the faith in yourself yet, but have faith in God, and you will start to see yourself the way that God sees you—“to see as they are seen,”⁴⁷ to quote Section 76. Then you will be empowered, not because of some cliché cute phrases, but because you know that you and God are together.

President Russell M. Nelson taught us about hesed. “Hesed is a unique term describing a covenant relationship in which both parties are bound to be loyal and faithful to each other... Every man and every woman who participates in priesthood ordinances and who makes and keeps covenants with God has direct access to the power of God.”⁴⁸ Because of the covenants that you have made with God—you are bound to Him and have access to His power and strength in ways that are not known in any other way—covenantal love.

Do you fear meeting life’s goals, such as serving a mission, getting married, having children, and any number of other worthy and wonderful aspirations? Well, you might not get those blessings in this life. How’s that for a comforting message? And I know that’s sad, and it is hard to hear, but not everything does work out the way that we hope in this life. Welcome to the Fall! Sometimes people don’t get better. We don’t get the job. We don’t pass the test. Does that mean that this whole gospel thing doesn’t work? Of course not! Because the answer is still the same—Jesus Christ! Elder Joseph B. Worland taught, “The Lord compensates the faithful for every loss. That which is taken away from those who love the Lord will be added unto them in His own way. While it may not come at the time we desire, the faithful will know that every tear today will eventually be returned a hundredfold with tears of rejoicing and gratitude.”⁴⁹

Let’s talk about Moses again. Don’t forget that Moses never enters the promised land.⁵⁰ He doesn’t get to go. That was the whole goal. After all that Moses did—getting Israel out of bondage! 40 years in the wilderness! Let’s not forget about the Red Sea. Well, we can yell at the heavens that “That’s not fair!” and you might be right. It might not be fair, but it’s mortality! And I’m confident that Moses is enjoying a sweet “promised land” right now. He’s okay.

We have talked a lot about fear. Please remember that even if we didn’t address your significant fear, don’t forget—Jesus Christ remains the constant answer to every changing fear in your life. Turn to Him. Come unto Him. Covenant with Him. I echo what the psalmist says: “In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.”⁵¹

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be removed, though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea.”⁵² and “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”⁵³

I am so grateful for the scriptures, for prophets, the Gospel, and the Church of Jesus Christ. Where would I be without this knowledge? I thank and praise my God for the comfort and reassurance that this doctrine gives me. I hope with all of my heart that you will all be inspired by God to exercise your faith in Him through whatever fears you have and will have in the future. I know that Jesus Christ is the only real source of peace and strength in a world riddled with fear. I witness of Him and His goodness, His glory, His strength, and His power. And I say that in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

¹       Genesis 3:10; Moses 4:16
²       Luke 2: 9
³       Luke 2: 10-11
⁴       2 Corinthians 4: 8-9
⁵       Daniel 3: 16-18
⁶       Daniel 3: 23
⁷       Daniel 3: 25
⁸       Stevenson, Gary, “5 Ways to Conquer Fear,” For the Strength of Youth, February 2017
⁹       Mother Teresa, Time Magazine, 29 December 1975
¹⁰  Matthew 11:28-30
¹¹  Psalm 118:8-9
¹²  Faust, James E. “The Lifeline of Prayer,” Ensign May 2002, p. 59
¹³  Exodus 33:11
¹⁴  Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Wilford Woodruff, Chapter 5, p. 49 ¹⁵ John 14: 26
¹⁶  John 14:26
¹⁷  John 14:26
¹⁸  Ephesians 1:17
¹⁹  Isaiah 4:4
²⁰  John 16:13
²¹  Nelson, Russell, “Pure Truth, Pure Doctrine, and Pure Revelation,” October 2021 General Conference
²²  John 3:16
²³  1 John 4: 8-9
²⁴  “Tis Sweet to Sing the Matchless Love,” hymn 176
²⁵  2 Kings 6: 16-18
²⁶  Psalm 107:14
²⁷  1 Corinthians 15: 55
²⁸  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (1995, September 23). The family: A proclamation to the world . https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/the - family - a - proclamation - to - the - world/the family - a - proclamation - to - the - world
²⁹  Alma 24:10-11
³⁰  3^rd Nephi 9:14
³¹  2^nd Nephi 26:33
³²  Kearon, Patrick, “God’s Intent Is to Bring You Home,” April 2024 General Conference
³³  Joshua 1:9
³⁴  John 17:3
³⁵  Monson, Thomas, “Be of Good Cheer,” April 2009 General Conference

³⁶  Joshua 1: 5-9
³⁷  Exodus 3: 11-12
³⁸  Judges 6: 15-16
³⁹  Jeremiah 1: 6-8
⁴⁰  Luke 1:34
⁴¹  Moses 6: 31-32
⁴²  Exodus 3:12
⁴³  Jeremiah 1: 8
⁴⁴  Judges 6: 16
⁴⁵  Luke 1:30
⁴⁶  Moses 6:34
⁴⁷  D&C 76: 94
⁴⁸  Nelson, Russell, “The Everlasting Covenant,” October 2022
⁴⁹  Wirthlin, Joseph, “Come What May, and Love it,” October 2008 General Conference ⁵⁰ Deuteronomy 1: 37
⁵¹  Psalm 56:4
⁵²  Psalm 46: 1-2
⁵³  Psalm 27:1