Latter-day Saint FAIR-Cast

by Autumn Dickson

Are you feeling completely torn down? Are you feeling discouraged about what you have to offer? Do you feel hollowed out after a time of refining fire?

Isaiah includes many warnings to Israel. The Lord allowed them to be smitten and scattered and left without anchor for a while in order to turn them back to Him. These warnings are good reminders for us in our day as they can contribute to our desire to repent. We can observe patterns and try to avoid the same traps.

But Isaiah also includes many words of comfort about the Savior. Isaiah reminds Israel of the promises that were made to them so long ago. These words of comfort and promises are equally applicable in our lives.

Isaiah 51 is one of these chapters filled with promises and encouragement from the Lord. Israel is finding itself completely torn down, discouraged, and hollowed out. They are not a mighty people any longer. They have been scorned and trampled on. Here is where the Lord starts to lift them up again.

Isaiah 51:1 Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the Lord: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged.

The rock in scripture often refers to the Savior, but in this particular chapter, the Lord is referring to someone else.

Isaiah 51:2 Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.

The rock and hole of the pit are Abraham and Sarah. Why is the Lord telling Israel to look unto Abraham and Sarah at this particular point in the timeline? Surely they were good examples of righteousness, but the Lord’s encouragement is a bit more purposeful than that.

He is essentially telling Israel, “You feel hopeless about Israel? Look at where you came from! Abraham and Sarah were one couple, just one! They were completely alone, separated from family and any society they had known, but I chose them. They were childless, but I turned them into a great nation. If I can work with them, scorned and downtrodden and alone, then I can work with you. If I can multiply them into a mighty nation, then I can multiply whatever I need to with you.”

Isaiah wants Israel to remember that their entire nation came from something that the world would have labelled as “nothing.” How can we take Isaiah’s advice? How can we look unto the rock from whence we have been hewn?

We can look directly at Abraham and Sarah, but there have been many mighty miracles performed on behalf of the Lord’s fallen, bereft people. There are examples all throughout the scriptures of the Lord taking care of His people and making something from nothing, but there are also stories in our personal and family histories that we can look to for comfort, encouragement, and hope.

There was a time when Conner and I found ourselves in some financial trouble. We had just made a significant investment and within a couple of weeks of that investment, found ourselves with some unexpected bills. We were in a rather large deficit every month, and we had no idea how we were going to make it work. We explored all of the options we could think of with little success.

I talked to my sister during that time period, and she told me some of those miraculous tithing stories from our own family. My parents couldn’t afford their electric bill and a clerical error meant that they didn’t get an electrical bill for several months; the gigantic bill hit right when my father got a commission. My sister couldn’t pay one of her bills until someone felt a huge prompting to hand her an envelope of money with almost exactly how much she needed.

My sister told me something profound alongside these miraculous stories, “The Lord’s math is not our math.” He calculates things very differently and has an abundance from which to bless us. Just look at what the Lord can do with so little.

Now, I used financial examples, but this goes for anything you feel lost on. There have been times in my life where I swear the Lord has paused the clock, and I have found myself with extra pockets of desperately needed time. I have found this to be true in terms of my abilities, strength, endurance, and faith. His math has not been my math. He can make a mighty nation from a forlorn, childless, lost couple. He can make me whatever I need to be.

1 Nephi 17:50 And I said unto them: If God had commanded me to do all things I could do them. If he should command me that I should say unto this water, be thou earth, it should be earth; and if I should say it, it would be done.

If God commanded me to do ALL things, I could do them. Don’t look at your lack. Look at God’s abundance. This is all very easy for Him. That doesn’t mean He’s going to make it easy on you because that would take away from His eternal purposes of turning you into something glorious, but don’t be afraid of having nothing to offer. He can work with nothing but humility and a desire to follow Him.

What is wonderful about the specific example of Abraham and Sarah is that the Lord blessed them according to their desires. They wanted posterity so desperately. This wasn’t just about multiplying them for His own purposes. He multiplied them and gave them according to their deepest hopes and dreams. He started with a rejected husband and a barren wife and gave them enough posterity to fill the entire world.

I testify that it doesn’t matter what kind of deficit or fragility or brokenness you bring to the table. The Lord can turn it into a mighty nation. He can turn you into a “mighty nation.” He can multiply and multiply and multiply and fulfill your deepest desires and hopes and dreams. You don’t need to fear having nothing. He can work with that if you turn to Him.

Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Isaiah 50–57 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah. She was the 2023 recipient of the John Taylor Defender of the Faith award.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Isaiah 50–57 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

by Autumn Dickson

In Isaiah 50, we find a profound message of Christ’s voluntary suffering. Not only does He suffer for us, but He does so completely willingly. There is a very careful message being given. The words are meticulously chosen so that we can understand the exact nature of what Christ truly did for us.

In the beginning, Christ rebukes Israel and declares that He never sold them out. He has only ever been loyal to them. He demands that they show Him the proof that He supposedly left them. He then goes on to talk about His majesty and power. His hand is not shortened. He can redeem and deliver. He can dry up the sea and rivers. He clothes the heavens.

He is God.

After declaring how powerful He is, He declares the following.

Isaiah 50:6-7

6 I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.

7 For the Lord God will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.

Here, the Lord says He gives his back to the smiters. He gave His cheeks to those who pulled out the hair. He didn’t turn away from shame or spitting. This is significant placement. The Lord is literally telling us, “I am so incredibly powerful, but I gave myself over to this humiliation and torture. I gave it, and only I could give it because I am so powerful. It could not be taken from me.”

In verse 7, the Lord knows He is not alone or confused; He knows exactly what has been asked of Him. This phrase also clues us in: “I set my face like a flint.” In other words He is saying, “I’m not a victim. They attack me, but I am not a victim. I have power, and I am resolute. I insist on doing this.”

This is the very definition of voluntary suffering.

For all intents and purposes, He basically walked into the hands of the Jewish temple authorities and put the cuffs on by Himself. He whipped Himself. He put the crown of thorns on His own head. Everyone was so weak and powerless against Him that it was as if He nailed Himself to the cross.

I do not say this to excuse the guilty parties; I merely point out the fact that Christ’s suffering and death were voluntary.

Think about what that means for a moment in terms of Judas. Judas betrayed Him, but Christ wasn’t tortured and killed because of Judas. Imagine for a moment, what is truly going on in Christ’s heart. I can’t be sure because His mind is not my own, but I wonder if some of His thoughts included, “Why are you doing this Judas? I am choosing to suffer and die on behalf of the world. This is not because you actually held any power. But despite my own insistence on suffering on behalf of the children of God, it hurts that you would betray me. I loved you. You were my friend. You betrayed me.”

Judas had no true power to hurt Jesus other than the emotional damage he caused by his betrayal.

Now we’re going to change course here, and it may feel abrupt but stick with me. In Christian traditions, Isaiah 50 is a prophecy about Jesus Christ. This makes sense, and this is how we study this chapter. However, in Jewish tradition, it is believed to be a prophecy about the Israelites. The Israelites are the servants of the Lord who have access to His power but fall under oppression anyway. Because Isaiah’s words often have dual meanings, we can explore both traditions. This prophecy is about Christ, and yet, can it also be about us as a type of Christ?

There are three parts of this sacrifice that I want to talk about in relation to our following Christ’s example: willingness, love, and salvation.

The first aspect is willingness. Are we willing to suffer on behalf of another person? Are we willing to let go of our selfishness? I think there are many forms this can take. If the world looked at the relationship between the Savior and any of us individually, they would describe the relationship as toxic. Christ would be encouraged to cut us off, to not put up with that kind of disloyalty anymore.

But what if the world were a bit more patient with each other? Obviously there are appropriate times to step away from a toxic relationship. Christ would temporarily step away from Israel when they refused Him. Christ encouraged Nephi to leave his brothers. However, I think that line has been brought over too far in our modern society. The world has refused to tolerate flaws and mistakes in the name of fairness and self care. We mock and belittle instead of reaching out with love to try and reach someone who is capable of changing. I think the willingness to suffer a bit in the name of helping somebody change has greatly diminished. Sometimes that suffering comes in the form of patience when you have your own stuff to worry about. Sometimes that suffering comes in the form of continuing forgiveness while the other person figures things out. Christ was willing to suffer for us despite our not deserving it. Are we willing to follow Him and offer others the same grace even at the expense of ourselves?

The second one is love. This one is actually critical because suffering at the expense of another person is not about developing a martyr complex. Sometimes love looks like turning the other cheek, letting go of demanded progress, or continually forgiving. Sometimes love looks like pointing out things that are not right. Love can help determine how to react in any given situation, and it can also prevent and heal bitterness. When we think we’re constantly sacrificing ourselves, it can lead to resentment. I have found that love, not martyrdom, is the answer to that resentment. True love that you feel in your bones, not just acting like you love someone. Love is key.

The last one is salvation. The definition of salvation can mean different things. It can be expanded or narrowed down. Traditionally, we think of salvation as Christ offering us grace and living with Him again. I tend to expand that definition. Salvation is all of the joy that Christ offers.

Christ is the only One who earned salvation, and yet, would salvation be salvation without His family? If He had refused to suffer on our behalf, would He have gotten lonely and missed us?

When we choose to be selfless and truly loving (not just going through loving motions), we are offering others salvation and we are also offering that salvation to ourselves. Not in the sense that we can pay for our own salvation but in the sense that we find an enlightened life full of the things that Christ wants for us. This way of life, following Christ’s example, helps us receive the joy and peace that Christ has always tried to offer us.

I testify that Christ was willing to suffer. I testify that His willingness to suffer saved us and brought Him joy in the sense that He got His loved ones back. I testify that He is all-powerful, not a victim. I testify that following His example can help to save others by offering them the grace of Christ, and I also testify that following His example can bring us joy.

Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Isaiah 50–57 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

by Autumn Dickson

In the last post for this week, we talked about the Lord calling out idols for being useless. He challenges them to prophesy or explain past things as He does. He invites Israel to come and judge with Him. He tells them to come and see whether these manmade idols have any worth, to discern for themselves that the Lord is the only God.

He does that in Isaiah 43 again, but there is a little addition that I want to cover.

Isaiah 43:9 Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be assembled: who among them can declare this, and shew us former things? let them bring forth their witnesses, that they may be justified: or let them hear, and say, It is truth.

So the Lord is telling the nations to gather together and his people to assemble and observe. He then asks the nations, “Which of you can declare the future or show us the past? Bring your witnesses.” Then He adds this:

Isaiah 43:10 Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.

So in the previous chapter, the Lord is like, “Israel come and judge and see if these idols are worth anything.” They are the observers, the jury. In this chapter, He is calling upon Israel as His witness to stand before the world and testify. They are no longer the jury, listening and observing and trying to discern truth. They have been called to be witnesses and share the truth.

I love the transition from jury to witness. I think observing the differences between jury duty and the call to be a witness can help us understand our responsibilities.

As part of the jury, you are largely silent. You’re listening and observing. You’re showing up to see, paying close attention, observing patterns, and seeking the truth, but no one is asking for your opinion immediately. The Lord asks you to be the jury first. Have you done this part? Did you show up to see? Did you come with impartiality? Did you take your role seriously or are you caught up in other responsibilities? Do we understand the gravity of what we’ve been asked to observe?

Being a part of the jury is an essential first step, but it’s not the end. You’re not just here on earth to observe. You’re here to become. I’m going to repeat that because it comes into play later. You’re here to become.

If you have fulfilled your role as jury, do you feel prepared to step into your new role as witness?

There are two definitions of “witness.”

The first definition is, “a person who sees an event.”

As a witness in a court room, it’s your job to tell the truth about what you’ve observed. Do you know what you’re talking about? Do you present yourself well? Can they feel the truthfulness of your words?

When you really think about a scenario in the courtroom, the jury is trying to discover the truth of the matter. In this case, they’re trying to determine whether God truly is the only God. When you share your testimony, they’re not just collecting information. People will be listening to your testimony, but what they are truly judging is your credibility. They are making judgment calls about who you are.

Which actually leads me to the second definition of “witness.”

The second definition (a definition I didn’t originally think of) is more interesting to me. A witness is also “evidence, proof.” A witness is not just someone who gives evidence; a witness can be the evidence. Standing as a witness means talking about our observations of Jesus Christ, but standing as a witness also means being the evidence or proof of Jesus Christ. There are a few interesting ideas surrounding this idea of being the evidence. Let’s talk about two of them.

Idea one: What does it look like to be evidence of Jesus Christ?

Honestly, I think it looks like being filled with joy. We live our lives in a certain way. We are a peculiar people, but more importantly, we feel confident in His promises and that brings joy and peace. That means on some days, I’m waking up and praying and feeling joyful for all I’ve been given. On other days, I wake up and lean on Him for comfort in the dark times. It doesn’t mean persistent, fake happiness. It means a fulfilling, hopeful, peaceful life.

It also means a life of integrity. People can trust you. You’re consistent in doing good and loving others.

And honestly, this is really where I found my own “evidence” of Christ: in becoming the evidence. I have collected plenty of spiritual experiences throughout my life. I had heard little whispers of the spirit, and I used to cling to those to try and prove my testimony. Unfortunately, I still found myself with doubts. That changed significantly when I became the evidence instead of trying to collect it. I have this relationship with Him that is very real. He has changed my life for the better.

Idea two: Becoming the witness (evidence) came from sharing my witness.

I found my relationship with Christ by sharing what I did know. I knew of Him before. I had experiences with Him. I had beliefs and misconceptions and internalizations surrounding Him. But choosing to invest time and energy into sharing what I knew about Him invited Him into my life, and now He’s my Friend. It turned me into a more active participant in our relationships and therefore, strengthened our relationship.

He is already the active party in your relationship. He is fully committed regardless of what you’re currently choosing. If you want to reap the benefits, you simply have to engage.

So stand up from being the jury and choose to be a witness. It will change you into the evidence of Christ, and it is the most satisfying experience.

I testify of Christ. I testify that my life has become evidence of who He is. Look at how He has changed me. Where I was miserable and distraught before, I am now full of gratitude and joy. Where I was uncertain and scared, I am now full of hope for the future. It is a joyous experience. It has filled my life with light and given me purpose and confidence.

Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Isaiah 40–49 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah. She was the 2023 recipient of the John Taylor Defender of the Faith award.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Isaiah 40–49 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

by Autumn Dickson

Isaiah 41 has a couple of different messages from the Lord to Israel, but there is one in particular that I want to focus on. In order to do that, I want to squish a couple of verses together.

Isaiah 41:1 Keep silence before me, O islands; and let the people renew their strength: let them come near; then let them speak: let us come near together to judgment.

The Lord is telling the pagans to remain quiet. He is calling upon His own people to come to Him, renew their strength, and come together to judge. Rather than declaring His role as Ultimate Judge, this verse is inviting Israel to come discern with Him. He wants to work with Israel and help them see more clearly.

As the chapter continues on past this verse, the Lord says that He will take care of Israel. He won’t forsake them. He will uphold them and nurture them, and He wants Israel to recognize Him as their Savior. Then He calls upon the pagan idols to defend themselves. Perhaps this is what the Lord wants Israel to judge.

Isaiah 41:21-23

21 Produce your cause, saith the Lord; bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob.

22 Let them bring them forth, and shew us what shall happen: let them shew the former things, what they be, that we may consider them, and know the latter end of them; or declare us things for to come.

23 Shew the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods: yea, do good, or do evil, that we may be dismayed, and behold it together.

He is telling the idols to prove themselves. He wants the idols to prophecy or explain things that have already happened.

When I picture these verses together, I picture the Lord setting His people down beside Him. He is telling His people, “Come and make a judgment call with me. Come see what you think.” Then He turns to the silent idols that have been created by mankind and asks them to prove themselves. He wants to see if those idols can do what He can, namely prophecy of things to come or explain history. He mockingly tells the idols to prove that they are gods so that He and His people can be dismayed and see things clearly, that the idols are worthless.

One of God’s great gifts is the ability to discern. He can look at a person or thing and recognize the value or lack of value therein.

We came here to become like Him which means developing the ability to discern. In this chapter, the Lord is calling upon His people to come and discern with Him. Surely there have been times where the Lord has been like, “Israel! What are you doing?! These idols are so worthless!” But in this particular instance, He is calling upon Israel to come and sit with Him so they can all discern together.

If Israel were to truly come to the table and work with the Lord, I’m sure they would come to the same conclusion as Him. It’s an effective way of teaching, and it is often the kind of teaching the Lord operates under when it comes to the Plan of Salvation.

He gives us an opportunity to judge for ourselves. He sent us here to earth to learn the good from the bad and learn to recognize the difference. He lets us stumble and fall so we can (hopefully) develop good judgment. When Israel turned to idols, He allowed them to be smitten by their enemies so they wouldn’t wrongfully attribute their protection to those idols.

This strategy has caused Him a lot of pain. It means that we will make mistakes that the Lord has to pay for. It means that we will hurt ourselves and others, and though He has an eternal perspective, it can hurt to watch your children hurt. It means that He has to watch us choose others over Him despite His undying loyalty and payment. It means that despite His eternal, omnipotent life being centered on us and our well-being, He often gets called the bad guy.

He allows us to choose so that we can truly learn despite all that it costs Him.

How often do we emulate that when we’re called to be an example or teach our loved ones?

Lately, I’ve gotten over being a constant referee to my kids. When I solve one problem for them, they come to me for every problem. It’s ineffective and inefficient. They want me to solve everything. It eats away at all of my time, and they are never quite satisfied with my choices in disciplining their siblings who have treated them wrong. They also don’t learn to solve their own problems.

So I’ve switched tactics. Like the Lord, I want my kids to mature and be able to choose well in the situations they’re given. As they grow older, they’re going to find themselves in situations where other people don’t treat them well. Will they be prepared to face those situations if I’m solving everything at home?

Maybe I’m crazy for approaching things this way, but constantly breaking up fights wasn’t working before so I’ve switched tactics. I’ll let you know later if my methods result in my kids going to jail or becoming peacemakers. Anyway, my new method involves letting them learn the hard way, and I allow them to fight for a while. I obviously don’t let it escalate too badly, but I don’t stop things immediately anymore. I try to ignore the pressure to directly respond to every bad choice my kids make.

We often think of idols as the things that Israelites worshiped, or we think of money or power. However, idols can be something as simple as anger. Humans will resort to anger in hopes that it will protect them, comfort them, and fix their problems. Humans turn anger into their ineffective savior, their idol.

So now instead of stopping the situation and removing the option of anger, I give them an opportunity to see that anger is a pathetic idol. Did their anger work? Are they feeling happy now? The answer is never yes.

This principle, this idea of looking at the idols in your life and judging whether they work, is a powerful one. There are many directions I could have chosen for this principle, and there are many ways that you can apply this principle. Are there idols in your life that could use some discerning? Are you removing opportunities for your loved ones to discern their own idols? Have you helped them walk through the process of discerning their idols instead of immediately condemning them?

I testify that agency is a gift. It’s an essential gift that can be used as a powerful tool for growth. I testify that the Lord works hard to protect that agency because He knows that constantly telling us isn’t nearly as effective as learning the truth for ourselves. I testify that He is wise and that idols are pathetic compared to Him and the happiness He has to offer.

Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Isaiah 40–49 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

by Autumn Dickson

Have you ever felt quiet confidence in the Lord? What did that look like? What were you doing in your life that you felt that way? Do you still feel it?

Isaiah 30 warns Israel that they will be scattered for rejecting the prophets and trusting in Egypt. The children of Israel want the prophets to “prophecy not” and to “speak unto us smooth things.” They want the seers to “see not,” and they want prophets to “prophesy deceits.”

They want lies from the prophets so they can hold on to their wickedness a bit longer without any annoyances or interruptions. They prefer their temporary wickedness to hard truths that will ultimately benefit them. They’d rather roll over in the mud where they will rot rather than getting up and getting cleaned off.

And the Lord is distraught over it.

Isaiah 30:15 For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not.

Ye would not. You refused the returning, rest, quietness, and confidence.

Have you ever refused the happy ending He wanted to give? Have you ever refused to put stock in the happy ending that He promised to give? Perhaps you were too afraid to put weight on it, but ironically, it just robbed you of more positive feelings.

Did you ever think about choosing faith and confidence before He sends the answer or fixes the problem?

It is a powerful thing to choose faith beforehand. It is a powerful thing to voluntarily shove your fear away, dig deep, and stand still, waiting for the Lord’s arm to be revealed. It is a powerful thing to say, “The Lord has not personally assured me yet, but I’m assuring me because I believe in the Lord.”

It was powerful when David laid everything on the line to go and fight Goliath despite the fact that he didn’t pray about it beforehand. It was powerful when the widow of Zarephath made a little cake for Elijah before she received any kind of confirmation that she would get unending supplies of food for the duration of the famine. It was powerful when Nephi walked into Jerusalem to get the plates without knowing what the plan was. It was powerful to watch Hezekiah hold still inside Jerusalem before he knew an angel would show up and destroy the Assyrian army.

Choosing faith without knowing the plan is powerful. Some of the biggest miracles in the scriptures came when people showed faith before the Lord showed up directly.

And many of these miracles are loud and impressive and we love to read about them. But there are also quiet miracles that come when we’ve chosen to put our trust in God. It is the miracle of return, rest, quietness, and confidence. These feelings really are miracles in a day and age when peace shall be taken from the earth. It is miraculous when we feel calm and content when all evidence points to the contrary. That is true power. It is powerful when Satan can’t touch our peace because it is firmly planted in the Lord where it is safe. It is powerful when opposition and uncertainty can’t break it because the trust has already been chosen.

One of my oft-repeated, favorite stories is when my daughter showed her faith in my husband.

I am rather convinced that Conner can fix anything. Apparently, my children have adopted the same attitude. I was standing in our kitchen one day, very pregnant, and I turned to Conner and said, “I think my water may have just broken.” From the other room, Evelyn yelled, “It’s okay, mom! Dad can fix it!”

Evelyn obviously didn’t know what had just broken, but it didn’t matter to her. She believed her dad could fix it.

Imagine the power that could come if we had that faith in the Lord. If anything bad happens, our immediate, knee-jerk reaction is, “It’s okay. Father can fix that.” When we reach the point where our knee-jerk reaction is that Heavenly Father can fix anything, we find what the Lord is trying to offer: returning, rest, quietness, and confidence.

He has offered those gifts. He has fixed things and proved Himself. He continually tries to convince us to trust these promises, but only we can make the decision whether to choose the faith ahead of time.

So what are you facing right now? What is eating at you? What keeps you up at night? What holds up a huge portion of your mental energy? Write it down at the top of a piece of paper and underline it.

Then, underneath it, write down every adjacent promise to that problem. Write down everything He has covenanted to deliver to you. Write down all of His characteristics that are relevant. Have you had any similar problems before? What happened? How did He help take care of them?

Sometimes finding returning, rest, quietness, and confidence doesn’t come from clinging desperately until your muscles ache and the problem blows over and you feel like you can breathe again. Returning, rest, quietness, and confidence can come in the middle of the storm when you choose to believe in the end of the storm. Sure, you’ll still feel the blowing but your heart and mind are at rest.

I testify that the Savior can fix it. I testify that you don’t have to hold on for dear life because He is holding on to you, and He is stronger than any storm. You just have to choose to trust in that strength and you will find the quiet. I testify that it is possible to choose faith when evidence points to the contrary.

Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Isaiah 13–14; 22; 24–30; 35 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah. She was the 2023 recipient of the John Taylor Defender of the Faith award.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Isaiah 13–14; 22; 24–30; 35 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

by Autumn Dickson

We’re going to talk about Isaiah 22 for this particular post. Isaiah is prophesying the destruction of Jerusalem. He wrote it during the time of Hezekiah; during Hezekiah’s reign, the people are miraculously saved by an angel coming forth and destroying the Assyrian army. They were saved at that critical moment, and yet, Isaiah’s writings often simultaneously point to the future. Isaiah’s prophecies did not come true during Hezekiah’s time period, but they did come true later on.

So destruction of Jerusalem:

The leaders of the city were already taken or fled, leaving the people to fend for themselves. The people fortified the walls, patched up breaches, and stored water; these were all preparations done for an oncoming siege.

During and after their preparations, there was one critical element that contributed (if not caused) their downfall.

Isaiah 22:11 Ye made also a ditch between the two walls for the water of the old pool: but ye have not looked unto the maker thereof, neither had respect unto him that fashioned it long ago.

They have not looked unto their Maker.

Isaiah loves to share prophecies that stretch across time and hold true for different time periods. This prophecy held true for Jerusalem in 586 BC under Zedekiah when the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and scattered the people, but it also holds true for our day. It can hold true for society, and it can hold true for us as individuals. It is the individual application that I want to focus on.

As I read about the Jews trying to save themselves against their enemies, I thought about an experience I had the night before last. We recently moved into a new place, and as life goes, we’re getting a bit tested right now. Satan is really fighting us which leads me to believe we’re headed in the right direction, but that doesn’t always make it easier. Sometimes I just wonder if we made a horrible mistake.

I woke up about 3:00 am with my thoughts swirling around in my head. We’re facing some unforeseen financial burdens and some potential health problems. I kept trying to go back to sleep because I knew I had a long day ahead of me, but those thoughts just kept rolling and rolling and rolling around. No matter how many times I tried to resolve these thoughts in my head, they would appear all over again, keeping me awake.

I thought of some costs we could cut. I thought of the very low odds that our health problems would turn into something significant. I came up with strategy after strategy of how we could make things come together and work. In other words, I fortified the walls, patched up breaches, and stored water.

I also made the same fatal mistake as the Jews; I didn’t turn to the Lord.

Now the Jews didn’t turn to the Lord because they had turned away from Him altogether. I believe in the Lord. I know better. I know that everything is going to be okay. I know that the Lord has this. I know that even if we reach the worst case scenario, the Lord can still walk us through it. I know that we have already won.

And though I trust the Lord and see His hand in my life frequently, I seem to have forgotten that I could turn to Him.

5:00 am rolls around and I finally sit up in my bed to write a prayer. I wrote down everything I was concerned about; this included my deeper worries about health and my surface level fears about being exhausted the next day. Usually when I dump everything, I try to include moments of faith where I walk through my concerns with Him. I was too exhausted this time so I essentially told the Lord, “Here you go. I can’t deal with this anymore.

And I fell asleep! Unfortunately, when I woke up, it started as a rough day. The thoughts came back, but then the Lord started whispering to me (probably because I opened the conversation the night before). I told one of my new friends about how we moved to the house we ended up in, and the spirit reminded me of all the feelings I had about moving to this house. My sister caught me at a particularly vulnerable time, and she shared some of her stories about how the Lord took care of her family in similar situations. She also reminded me of times when the Lord did it for my parents.

I opened up my journal again and started writing some of those tender mercies. Three pages later, I recognized many other tender mercies that I had not originally recognized. Just little things that lined up perfectly and set me up to see what I had not seen before. Nothing was miraculously fixed or changed, but the Lord reminded me that He’s with me and that’s all I really needed.

And all because I turned to Him. How long had I carried some of those stressors on my own for no reason?

So pause for a minute. What are some of the “enemies” surrounding you right now? Have you remembered to talk to the Lord about it? Perhaps there are some obvious enemies that you’ve taken to the Lord, but are there some more subtle enemies that you could have a conversation about? Perhaps you’ve spoken about some of the enemies but missed other critical ones.

For example, sometimes I will remember to pray and ask for help in getting stuff done, but I will forget to ask for help in bringing peace into my home.

Sometimes I remember to pray for help with finances, but I forget to pray for faith during any and all circumstances.

Sometimes I remember to pray for help with temporal things and completely forget to pray for the spiritual gifts and blessings that would make all the difference in the world.

Sometimes we pray and work and we love the Lord and obey Him, but we forget to turn to Him. Even when we love the Lord and have a testimony, sometimes we just forget to bring the issues to Him. Sometimes we worry that we brought our issues on ourselves and need to handle it ourselves because of that.

The truth of the matter is that the Lord wants to love and support us. He wants us to fortify our walls, breach the patches, and save water. He doesn’t want us to make ourselves useless and whiny, but He also wants us to lean on Him. I testify of that. I testify that we weren’t supposed to do this alone. I testify that we don’t have to fix things ourselves even when we’re the problem.

Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Isaiah 13–14; 22; 24–30; 35 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

We were able to get Brian Stutzman and Dan Peterson together backstage at the FAIR Conference to discuss the martydom and debunk some conspiracy theories that have been floating around.

Find out more about the Nauvoo Martyrdom Stories Museum at https://www.martyrdomstories.com/

More information about the “Becoming Brigham” series is at https://becomingbrigham.com/

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