Study Guide for "The Power of Sustaining Faith"

In this talk, President Henry B. Eyring discusses the importance and power of sustaining faith. He emphasizes the role of faith in sustaining the leaders of the Church, the power of prayer, and the importance of sustaining faith in family relationships. He also provides practical suggestions on how to increase our power to sustain each other.

Before Reading

Before reading or listening to the talk, consider the following questions:

What does it mean to sustain someone with your faith?
How does President Eyring suggest we can increase our power to sustain each other?
Why is it important to sustain our church leaders and family members?
What role does repentance play in sustaining faith?
What are the potential consequences of not keeping our promises to sustain others?

Topics

Understanding the Concept of Sustaining Faith

President Eyring explains that sustaining faith is not just about supporting church leaders but also about demonstrating faith in God's plan. This faith is demonstrated in various ways, including acceptance of the gospel, baptism, and receiving the Holy Ghost.

Your faith to sustain servants of God has been at the heart of your happiness in this life as well.

When you accepted a missionary’s challenge to pray to know that the Book of Mormon was the word of God, you had the faith to sustain a servant of the Lord.

When you let someone place hands on your head and say, “Receive the Holy Ghost,” you sustained him as a holder of the Melchizedek Priesthood.

What does it mean to sustain someone with your faith?
How have you demonstrated sustaining faith in your life?
How can you better exercise your power to sustain others with your faith?
Reflect on a time when you felt your faith was particularly sustaining. What can you learn from that experience?

The Importance of Sustaining Church Leaders

President Eyring emphasizes the importance of sustaining church leaders, despite their human imperfections. He warns of the consequences of not keeping promises to sustain them and encourages self-reflection and repentance.

These are imperfect human beings, as are you. Keeping your promises will take unshakable faith that the Lord called them.

No man, however strong he may be in the faith, however high in the Priesthood, can speak evil of the Lord’s anointed and find fault with God’s authority on the earth without incurring His displeasure.

Why is it important to sustain our church leaders?
What are the potential consequences of not keeping our promises to sustain others?
How can you better sustain your church leaders?
Reflect on a time when you struggled to sustain a church leader. What did you learn from that experience?

Increasing Our Power to Sustain Each Other

President Eyring provides practical suggestions on how we can increase our power to sustain each other. These include taking action on speakers" recommendations, praying for others, and looking for answers to personal prayers in their messages.

We could identify specific actions the speakers recommend and start today to carry them out. As we do, our power to sustain them will increase.

We could listen for messages from the speakers that come as an answer to our personal prayers for help. When the answers come, and they will, we will grow in our faith to sustain all the Lord’s servants.

What are some ways we can increase our power to sustain each other?
How does taking action on speakers" recommendations increase our power to sustain them?
What specific actions can you take to increase your power to sustain others?
Reflect on a time when a speaker's message answered your personal prayer. How did this experience strengthen your faith?

The Power of Sustaining Faith in Family Relationships

President Eyring discusses the importance of sustaining faith in family relationships. He shares personal experiences to illustrate the power of words of faith and encouragement between family members.

Your admiration for him will help him some. Your love for him will help even more. But the thing that will help the most is sincere words like these: “Dad, I’ve prayed for you, and I have felt that the Lord is going to help you. Everything will work out. I know it will.”

“Son, I’m with you all the way. The Lord loves you. With His help, you can make it back. I know that you can and that you will. I love you.”

Why is sustaining faith important in family relationships?
How can words of faith and encouragement impact family relationships?
How can you better sustain your family members with your faith?
Reflect on a time when you felt sustained by a family member's faith. How did this experience impact your relationship with them and with God?

The Role of Love and Repentance in Sustaining Faith

President Eyring emphasizes the role of love and repentance in sustaining faith. He explains that as we grow in love for Christ and each other, our hearts soften, leading us to repentance and increased confidence in the Lord and each other.

As we grow in that pure love of Christ, our hearts soften. That love will humble us and lead us to repent. Our confidence in the Lord and in each other will grow.

Those questions will, for most of us, lead to some uneasiness and a need to repent.

How do love and repentance contribute to sustaining faith?
Why is repentance important in the process of sustaining faith?
How can you cultivate more love for Christ and others in your life?
Reflect on a time when love and repentance helped you to sustain someone with your faith. How did this experience impact your faith?