If you haven’t listened or read, Elder Lawrence E. Corbridge’s talk, entitled “Stand Forever,” you really ought to. The reason for his talk is to help us counter the negativism against the church, and its standards, by recognizing and committing to truth. We can seek God’s truth in a world of falsity.
The message I got from his talk is understanding the difference between having questions and having doubts. At the very end of his talk, he reflected on hearing someone say, “It is okay to have doubts.” His response was, “I wonder about that. The Lord said, ‘Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not.’ I have a lot of questions; I don’t have any doubts.”
Questions and doubts are very different from one another. You can have questions and still be committed to truth. For example, as we all figure out our place in the gospel we all have questions. Some come because we are insecure. Perhaps we’ve experienced a lot of emotional pain, and struggle to have trust. Some come because we are just learning the gospel. Some come when we might have studied the gospel for years and seek more knowledge.
Pres. McKay, while talking about the temple endowment with other apostles, said, “I think I’m finally beginning to understand.” After sixty-four years as an apostle and prophet of the church, he recognized he still had more to learn. (quoted by Boyd K. Packer).
We have to figure out where our questions are coming from. Are we seeking after truth or simply feeding our doubt?
During the next General Conference, we have an opportunity to weigh where we stand. If we want proof to relieve our doubts, we will not find it. If we are daring the Lord to prove Himself to us, we will never overcome our doubt. It’s as good as asking for a sign and we know what happened to people in the Book of Mormon who asked for signs.
Humility is an important criterion in our exploration. We have to want to receive the right answers. As Elder Holland said once, “First, … hold fast to what you already know and stand strong until additional knowledge comes. Second, … do not start your quest for faith by saying how much you do not have, leading as it were with your unbelief. … you have more faith than you think you do” (“Lord, I Believe,” April 2013).
One reason why it’s so important to know and understand how Satan works is so we can recognize his counterfeit. Where Jesus Christ asks us to love Him first, the world (Satan) demands that we love each other without judgment. This is a counterfeit because when we love Jesus first, we will automatically love others without judgment. The order matters.
Where Jesus Christ asks us to accept the words of His prophet as His own words, the world (Satan) constantly demands that we doubt the prophet, challenge him, and ignore his warnings. We have seen shifts in our society where sin is more and more accepted, and it is causing great misery in our world. There is safety in following the prophet.
Elder Corbridge’s talk explains a lot of things so that we might recognize the difference for ourselves, but ultimately, it is our spirit that will experience sadness or happiness according to how much truth we accept and faith we choose to live by.