Book of Mormon Study Guide #7

I Know in Whom I Have Trusted

Purpose: To help class members strengthen their testimonies of the Prophet Joseph Smith
and to encourage them to find happiness through trusting in the Lord and keeping his
commandants.

2 Nephi 3:1
Sorrow is a part of mortality for everyone. Learning to endure times of disappointment,
suffering, and sorrow is part of our on-the-job training. These experiences, while often
difficult to bear at the time, are precisely the kinds of experiences that stretch our
understanding, build our character, and increase our compassion for others
(Wirthlin, Come What May, and Love It, 27).
Lets be honest. Storms are coming your way. Nobody escapes this world untried and
unchallenged. Winds will howl and you will have a choice. Will you hear Christ or the
crisis? Heed the promises of Scripture or the noise of the storm? The next time you face a trial
or a challenge that threatens to take away your peace, make a promise to listen to the
scriptures before you listen to your fear. Read Joshua 1:9 and make it your mantra. God said
to Joshua, (and therefore said to YOU!) Have I not commanded thee? Be strong and of a good
courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed; for the Lord God is with thee whithersoever
thou goest
The Hebrew word for courage has a much different meaning than we often attribute to it. In
Hebrew the word courage means to be alert, to be established, to be hardened. Using this
definition, when you are in the midst of a trial, how you show courage?

Matching Game

Match the four Josephs to their

reference in the scriptures
Joseph of Egypt
Joseph Smith Jr.
Joseph Smith Sr.
Joseph, Son of Lehi

2 Nephi 3:6-15
2 Nephi 3:15
2 Nephi 3:4
2 Nephi 3:1-3

2 Nephi 3:12

Josephs writings are in the Book of Mormon and Judahs are in the Bible. How will the writings of
Joseph and Judah grow together?

***OBJECT LESSON/FHE IDEA***

When I was taking the missionary discussions the elders who were teaching me about the
importance of the Book of Mormon performed the following demonstration, which I have never
forgotten. They took a cheap, paperback notebook and explained that this notebook symbolized the
word of God. They then took a hammer and drove a single nail through the top of the notebook. They
said that this nail represented the Bible. With only this single witness of the word of God, the
notebook was able to be twisted and turned in every direction. Then the elders took a second nail
and drove it through the bottom of the notebook. This nail represented The Book of Mormon. With this
second witness in place the word of God held firm and was unable to be moved about according to
the will of man.

Word
of God

Word
of God

Word
of God

The Bible sits on the pulpit of hundreds of different religious sects. The Book of Mormonverifies and
clarifies the Bible. It removes stumbling blocks, it restores many plain and precious things. We testify
that when used together, the Bible and the Book of Mormon confound false doctrines, lay down
contentions, and establish peace.
The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p63

The Psalm of Nephi

2 Nephi 4
Lets be honest. We all fall short of our expectations for ourselves and our Father
in Heavens requirements for us. Not just occasionally, but over and over again.
Sometimes this pattern gets so frustrating that even the prophet Nephi called out,
I am encompassed about, because of the temptations and the sins which do so
easily beset me. And when I desire to rejoice, my heart groaneth beause of my
sins; (2 Nephi 4: 18-19)
This can be a good thing. While unresolved guilt is a breeding ground for a host of
spiritual and emotional problems, guilt, wisely practiced, becomes a powerful force
for change. Guilt alerts us to the discrepancies between what we are and what God
knows we can become. It fosters renewed commitment and stirs up motivation.
Guilt serves as Gods rumble strips. When we swerve off the highway, rumble strips
call us back. Guilt does the same. When we start to veer from the straight and
narrow guilt calls us back. In appropriate does guilt is a blessing.
Thought Questions:
1) What is one thing that I have felt guilty about lately?

2) Guilt alerts us to the discrepancies between what we are right now and what
God knows we can become. What discrepancy is this guilt showing me?

3) What steps can I take this week to begin to close this gap?

4) How can I use my feelings of guilt to become closer to my Savior instead of

allowing them to isolate me from Him?

2 Nephi 5:1-2
Behold, it came to pass that I, Nephi, did _________ much unto the Lord my God, because of the
________________ of my _______________. But behold, their anger did ________________ against me.
Were Nephis prayers regarding the anger of his brethren answered? _____________________
I think that they were, just not in the way Nephi expected. Read this account in 1 Nephi 7:17. Here,
Nephi prays that the Lord would Give me strength that I may burst these band with which I am
bound. Instead of giving Nephi strength, however, the Lord simply loosed the bands (See verse 18).
When we pray in faith we must be open to receiving the answer and/or solution that the Lord
would give us, instead of setting our hearts on the answer that we want.
In the case of Laman and Lemuels anger towards Nephi, the solution lay not in changing Laman
and Lemel, but in heeding the counsel of the Lord to separate from them.

2 Nephi 5:11
And the Lord was ___________ _____________
When is the last time that you stopped to recognize and to acknowledge that the Sprit of
the Lord was with you? When you were baptized you were given the gift of the Holy Ghost. Do
you take advantage of this gift? Have you noticed and recorded the Lords tender mercies
on your behalf?
. Have you felt the Lords presence through the kindness of a stranger? Through the
majesty of a sunset or the mystery of romance? Through the question of a child or the
commitment of a spouse? Through a word well spoken or a touch well timed,? Have you
sensed him?
God gives us himself. Even when we choose the chaos of the world over the peace of his
kingdom and our guilt over his grace, still he follows. Never forcing us. Never leaving us.
Patiently persistent. Faithfully present. He uses all his power to convince us that He is who
He is, that He can be trusted, and that He is not going anywhere.
When is the last time you can remember the Spirit of the Lord being with you?