Faith must be personal, not something inherited from parents, leaders, or institutions. Many individuals initially lean on the faith of their families, but when trials come, they may struggle if they have not yet established their own relationship with God. Proverbs 22:6 emphasizes the importance of being taught faith, but there comes a time when we must transition from reliance on others to a direct, personal connection with Christ. The question is not just what you have faith in, but whether your faith is truly yours—something you have cultivated through your own spiritual experiences.

Key Concepts

1. Faith Must Be Personal: Faith is not something we inherit from parents, leaders, or institutions; it must be developed through personal experiences and a direct relationship with God. While guidance from others can be helpful, each person must establish their own connection with Christ.
2. Trials Reveal the Strength of Our Faith: Challenges and hardships test whether our faith is truly ours or if it is merely borrowed from others. When faith is deeply personal, trials become opportunities for spiritual growth rather than reasons for doubt or despair.
3. The Journey to Personal Faith Requires Reflection and Seeking: Finding one’s own faith requires introspection, study, and prayer. By actively questioning, seeking understanding, and engaging in a personal relationship with God, faith becomes a foundation that is unshakable, even in difficult times.

The Way You Should Go

Ye have not come thus far, save it were by the word of Christ, with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save. -2 Nephi 13:28 RAV, 31:19b OPV

The second key word is: You. Once we know the What we must discover where this What comes from. Proverb 22: 6 tells us, “Teach a youth about the way they should go; even when they are old, they will not depart from it.” These are wise words indeed, yet how many children lean upon the faith of their parents?

As we saw in the What, when the trial of their faith comes, that they must transition from faith in their parents, families, leaders, etc. to faith in Jesus. That is the You, and you need your own personal relationship with God. But to do this, we much acknowledge what it is that we have faith in, that You have faith in, personally.

James

A brother I was working with some time ago, we will call him James, looked up to his parents for their great faith. When his parents announced that they would be divorcing over the infidelity of one of his parents his faith in God was shaken to the core. How could God allow this? How could God be real if these two that had taught his “about the way he should go” were not going to stick with the plan they had taught him: staying loyal to one another, staying true and together as a family unit?

All of this time James had been leaning on his parent’s faith. He had not taken the time to find God for himself. It was not his faith, and when the trial came, he could no longer fall back on the faith he had borrowed. While Debora had faith in an organization, identifying her church as a sort of god, James did not have faith in anything. Here merely hung on to the rational, teachings, and the expectations of those that had raised him.

Ask: You?

Faith is not genetic, it is not something inherited. It is not something we can pass down from parent to child, father to son, mother to daughter. We can use others are a crutch or training wheel for a time, but at some point we must step out on our own and discover God for ourselves. The question I ask you today is not what others have told you to believe, but what do You believe yourself?

Discussion Questions

If you are taking this course independently, please use the quiz to turn in your answers. 

1. Reflect on a time when your faith was challenged. How did you respond, and what did you learn about the difference between borrowed faith and personal faith?
2. In what ways can a person transition from relying on the faith of their family or community to developing a personal relationship with God? Provide examples from your own journey or from religious texts.
3. Why is it important to question and examine our beliefs rather than simply accepting them from others? How can this process strengthen faith rather than weaken it?

Suggestions for Action

1. Set aside time each day to reflect on your beliefs, asking yourself what you truly have faith in and how your relationship with God has grown over time.
2. Read scriptures not just as a habit but with the goal of deepening your understanding of God, seeking answers to your own faith questions.
3. Have discussions with people of different faith backgrounds to challenge and refine your own beliefs. Listen actively and learn from different perspectives.
4. Strengthen your personal faith by serving others in need. Acts of kindness and service help us experience God’s love in action.
5. Go beyond routine prayers and take time to sit in silence, listening for God’s voice and deepening your personal connection with the Divine.

Final Thought/Meditation

Close your eyes and take a deep breath. Imagine yourself walking on a path, with many people behind you—parents, mentors, teachers, and friends. You have learned much from them, but now, you reach a fork in the road. You must choose your own direction. In the quiet of your heart, ask:

What do I believe? Who is God to me?

Feel the warmth of Christ’s love surrounding you, reminding you that your journey of faith is uniquely yours. Walk forward in confidence, knowing that as you seek, you shall find, and as you knock, the door will be opened unto you: Amen.