By Dawn Norton

A few months ago, I was asked to teach a short class on faith. Since then, I’ve expanded on what I taught and worked to make these ideas more accessible—especially for those unfamiliar with the “laws” we discuss in Mindset Mastery. Faith sits at the very top of the list of qualities we should be developing within ourselves. Just as we often fall short of our revelatory privileges, I’ve come to believe we also fall far, far short of the blessings we could receive—simply because we don’t fully understand how to develop real faith. The kind that makes things happen.

My journey with faith began many years ago. I stumbled forward, unsure how to increase my faith beyond sheer effort and willpower—which, as it turns out, wasn’t all that effective. But as I’ve gained experience with these principles, I’ve grown more confident in asking, envisioning, acting, rejoicing in the coming blessing, and receiving. I’ve come to trust that God is both willing and eager to give according to my desire.

Years ago, Elder Boyd K. Packer said:

"I recognize two kinds of faith. The first is the kind that is apparent in the world. It is the common denominator of most everything that goes on. It is the thing that lets us exist. It is the thing that gives us some hope of getting anything done. Everyone has it, some in a larger measure than others. The second kind of faith, remarkably rare, unusual to find, is the kind of faith that causes things to happen. Faith is a power as real as electricity except a thousand times more powerful. Now did you ever exercise faith—exercise it, practice it, you see, not just take it for granted? When you look at yourself, ask yourself how faithful you are. Faith is a first principle of the gospel according to the Lord. Is it a first principle in the gospel according to you?”
(https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/boyd-k-packer/articles-faith/)

That question challenges me. If we really had faith, wouldn’t we have no fear? If we truly had faith, we could experience what President Packer described—we could cause things to happen. We could do the “greater things” Christ said were possible. That thought has propelled me to study and apply various “laws” that have helped me increase my faith. As I’ve practiced them, I’ve been amazed at what they unlock.

Here are the laws that have made the biggest difference for me. Some of them have names I’ve created to describe the concepts more clearly:

1. The Law of the Harvest
This one’s the most straightforward: we reap what we sow. Or, as scripture puts it, “as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” Planting a garden is a perfect analogy. If you plant a tomato seed, you expect tomatoes—not peaches or thorns. You nourish it, you trust the process, and you don’t panic and yell, “What if tomatoes don’t grow?!” That kind of fear doesn’t even cross your mind.

But in life, we often do the opposite. We plant seeds of doubt and negativity, then act surprised by the results. James Allen, author of As a Man Thinketh, wrote:

“A man's mind may be likened to a garden… If no useful seeds are put into it, then an abundance of useless weed seeds will fall therein, and will continue to produce their kind.”

What are we planting? What are we affirming about ourselves? When doubt creeps in, we don’t question the seed—we question ourselves. “I’ll never succeed.” “I’m just a failure.” It’s a habit we must break.

2. The Law of Opposition
This law reminds us that opposition in all things is not just a scripture—it's a reality. But instead of resisting opposition, I've learned to accept it. Gratitude softens its edges. And often, the greater the opposition, the greater the opportunity that follows. When things seem terrible, I now try to rejoice, knowing the blessing will be even greater on the other side. (The story of Job is a masterclass in this.)

3. The Law of Gratitude
I've been practicing intentional gratitude for over 15 years. A few years ago, I raised the bar—aiming to be grateful in all things. I'm still working on it, but even in the trying moments, this practice has brought me joy, unexpected blessings, and in one case, even physical healing. The Spirit whispered to me that my eczema, which I had struggled with for years, was healed as a result of one deeply powerful experience with gratitude. Study thanksgiving in the scriptures—it’s everywhere for a reason.

4. The Law of Compensation
This one might be more personal to me, but it’s been powerful. Living in a state of gratitude helped me realize that God always makes up for my disappointments. He is perfectly just—even when life doesn’t feel that way. Fairness may not always show up in the moment, but I’ve come to trust His long-term compensation. The more I notice it, the more quickly I see His hand. Joseph Smith said:

“All your losses will be made up to you in the resurrection, provided you continue faithful. By the vision of the Almighty I have seen it.”

5. The Law of Vision
This law comes from the concept of the “eye of faith,” found in three Book of Mormon verses and mirrored in Hebrews 11:1—“Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” I dove into Webster’s 1828 Dictionary to better understand this verse and rewrote it in my own words:

“Faith is something real that we desire and obtain with a confident, joyful expectation by looking for proof or evidence of things we cannot see.”

I loved the Church’s new Children and Youth Program when it was introduced—especially the part where kids created vision boards and goal posters. Like the Relief Society Declaration or the Young Women’s Theme, these were written as affirmations. And that matters. Writing it, seeing it, feeling the excitement—it’s all part of making it real.

Proverbs 29 says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” When we worry and fret, we’re essentially digging up the seed to check if it’s growing. But if we’re truly faithful, we leave it in the soil, trust the process, and look forward to the harvest.

The three “eye of faith” scriptures are:

• Alma 5:15 – Look forward to the day of judgment with an eye of faith.

• Alma 32:40–41 – Nourish the seed, look forward to the fruit.

• Ether 12:19 – Their faith was so strong, they saw with their spiritual eyes what would become reality.

In all three, we see the words: look forward. That idea cemented my understanding that setting goals and trusting the Lord is not passive—it’s visionary. We see what we hope for, and in doing so, we help it come to pass.

6. The Law of Joyful Expression
“Man is that he might have joy.” That’s not just poetic—it’s purposeful. If we aren’t living in joy, it’s worth asking why not, and then doing the work to change that. The answer is usually practice, patience, and persistence.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18, we read:

“Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

Living in joy, prayer, and thanksgiving changes us—and those around us. It changes our circumstances. When we express our prayers, dreams, and goals from a state of joy, it activates that kind of faith President Packer described. It causes things to happen.

Bringing it all together, here’s where I land:
I reject doubt. Over and over in the scriptures, we are told, “Doubt not, fear not.” Doubt and fear kill faith. They just do. And when I feel those emotions, I don’t entertain them. I reject the thought.

Here are some additional thoughts and resources:

“We need women who know how to make important things happen by their faith and who are courageous defenders of morality and families in a sin-sick world.” https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2015/10/a-plea-to-my-sisters?lang=eng

Anything by Elder Cook, but this talk https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/gene-r-cook/faith-in-the-lord-jesus-christ/ and this incredible audio. https://deseretbook.com/p/faith-lord-jesus-christ-gene-r-cook-459?variant_id=113089-audiobook-mp3-

Alma 32, Be believing. Commit yourself. Do your part, pray, expect trials of your faith and then expect the Lord to answer. There's 20 verses in chapter 32 that go over that process of increasing your faith.

Elder Pearson’s awesome conference talk about faith. He said lack of faith is six Ds; doubt, discouragement, distraction, lack of diligence, disobedience and disbelief. Awesome talk.

Elder Packer said, “in a world filled with skepticism and doubt, the expressions, ‘seeing is believing’ promotes the attitude, you show me and I'll believe. We want all of the proof and all of the evidence first. It seems hard to take things on faith. When will we learn that in spiritual things, and I think temporal things too, it works the other way around that believing is seeing. Spiritual belief proceeds spiritual knowledge. When we believe in things that are not seen but are nevertheless true, then we have faith.”

Amazing article on faith. https://latterdaysaintmag.com/article-1-9156/

And, www.rarefaith.org, my friend Leslie's wonderful site.

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