Helaman 10:4

Blessed art thou, Nephi, for those things which thou hast done; for I have beheld how thou hast with unwearyingness declared the word, which I have given unto thee, unto this people. And thou hast not feared them, and hast not sought thine own life, but hast sought my will, and to keep my commandments.

Nephi's most powerful trait was his "unwearyingness" in carrying out the will of the Lord. We often quote the Savior in Gethsemane, "the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak." Following the Savior, Nephi showed us that a willing spirit can overcome the weak flesh. He was magnificent because he made up his mind to be faithful regardless of the cost, and he persevered. He could trust himself, and God could trust him. We can receive the same blessings that Nephi received if we can develop the same "unwearyingness". It is not grit, however. It is a gift, like faith and charity. If we truly want to be strong, God will make us strong. If we ask with real intent, he will enable us to do whatever is necessary.

Helaman 3:35

Nevertheless they did fast and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God.

As these people's humility grew, so did their faith in Christ. It became firm, then solid, then un-bendable, then unbreakable. Humility and faith go hand in hand. The more humble we are, the more we see the need to depend on God. The more we depend on him, the more he can help us. The more he helps us, the better we come to know him. And the better we know him, the more we trust him. Trust us another word for faith. By faith, we act with growing confidence on our beliefs.

The more thoroughly we trust God, and the more evidence we acquire of his love for, and interest, in us, the more joy we experience. How can we not feel exquisite joy when we know that the Supreme Being in the universe knows us and cares about us?  How can we not rejoice in knowing this earth, life itself, and the grand plan of salvation were created to lift us to exaltation with God?

One additional note: we do not purify and sanctify our own hearts. We can only yield them to God. It is by his power through the Savior's Atonement that our hearts are changed.

Alma 53:21

Yea, they were men of truth and soberness, for they had been taught to keep the commandments of God and to walk uprightly before him.

Personal integrity is a source of personal power. Walking uprightly does not mean never making mistakes, but it means we are honest about our mistakes and are accountable for them. When we are honest, God can trust us and help us.

Alma 38:5

And now my son, Shiblon, I would that ye should remember, that as much as ye shall put your trust in God even so much ye shall be delivered out of your trials, and your troubles, and your afflictions, and ye shall be lifted up at the last day.

Blessings are predicated upon obedience. Trust in God is synonymous with faith in him. When we have faith in him, wonderful blessings will come into our lives. Of course, for us to recognize blessings, we must also have opposition. Shiblon is promised a full load of adversity, but the promised deliverance is greater than the trials from which he will be delivered. When we are faced with great trials, if we exercise faith, we can expect miraculous deliverance.

Alma 37:17

For he will fulfil all his promises which he shall make unto you, for he has fulfilled his promises which he has made unto our fathers.

The scriptures record God's fulfilling of promises to previous generations and dispensations, and thus provide us with hope. For God is the same yesterday, today, and always. Because he has kept and honored covenants with previous people, we can have confidence that he will act with integrity towards us.

Alma 37:12

And it may suffice if I only say they are preserved for a wise purpose, which purpose is known unto God; for he doth counsel in wisdom over all his works, and his paths are straight, and his course is one eternal round.

Sometimes we have to act in faith and accept the fact that God has a reason for everything, even if he chooses not to tell us his reasons at the moment. We should not suppose that God is whimsical or that he does not know or care about what we do. If we trust in him, he will not let us down.

Alma 36:27

And I have been supported under trials and troubles of every kind, yea, and in all manner of afflictions; yea, God has delivered me from prison, and from bonds, and from death; yea, and I do put my trust in him, and he will still deliver me.

Christ is never done delivering us. He never stops rescuing us. No matter how many trials and afflictions we run into, he will help us through every one of them. He has suffered them all. He knows them all. And he knows how to succor us in them all. He will stay with us to the very end, and then he will still be there beyond the end and into eternity. We can trust him every single time.

Alma 36:3

And now, O my son Helaman, behold, thou art in thy youth, and therefore, I beseech of thee that thou wilt hear my words and learn of me; for I do know that whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day.

Alma boils a lifetime of lessons into a simple philosophy: if we can trust God and give ourselves up to him, he will support us. Alma knows from direct experience. He knows what it is like to fight against God, and he knows what it is like to repent and come near to him. He says to learn from his example. Don't make all the same mistakes. We can learn directly, and we can learn by observation. Observation is much less expensive than direct experience. We're going to get plenty of experience as it is. Alma promises trials, troubles, and afflictions. We don't have to make it worse by being stupid. Life us not easy for anyone, but it can be a whole lot better when we are on God's side. It is tough enough with his help. It's much harder without it.

Alma 12:32

Therefore God gave unto them commandments, after having made known unto them the plan of redemption, that they should not do evil, the penalty thereof being a second death, which was an everlasting death as to things pertaining unto righteousness; for on such the plan of redemption could have no power, for the works of justice could not be destroyed, according to the supreme goodness of God.

God's goodness--the very thing that makes him God--is his ability to be perfectly obedient to the laws by which the universe operates. He is good because he never violates a law or tries to negate justice. He is never whimsical or inconsistent. He is one hundred percent reliable. We can always trust him.

Alma 7:20

I perceive that it has been made known unto you, by the testimony of his word, that he cannot walk in crooked paths; neither doth he vary from that which he hath said; neither hath he a shadow of turning from the right to the left, or from that which is right to that which is wrong; therefore, his course is one eternal round.

Christ is totally trustworthy. We need never fear that he will change his mind, or withdraw his promises, or withhold his love. He never gets distracted or tired. We never have to wonder about him. Thus he is the Rock, immovable, unchanging, anchored, steadfast, solid to the core. Even if the seemingly eternal mountains are worn away by time and erosion, the true Rock will stand forever. That is the One in whom we trust.

Alma 7:8

Behold, I do not say that he will come among us at the time of his dwelling in his mortal tabernacle; for behold, the Spirit hath not said unto me that this should be the case. Now as to this thing I do not know; but this much I do know, that the Lord God hath power to do all things which are according to his word.

God has the power to do everything he needs to do. One of the very definitions of God is a being of supreme power.  No one and no thing are more powerful than God. If anything in the universe is more powerful than God, he would cease to be God. We can put ultimate and unconditional trust in God because we can know that he can keep every promise and deliver every blessing. 

Alma 5:13

And behold, he preached the word unto your fathers, and a mighty change was also wrought in their hearts, and they humbled themselves and put their trust in the true and living God. And behold, they were faithful until the end; therefore they were saved.

After we receive a witness from the Holy Ghost, we must stay humble, trust in God, and stay faithful to keep it. President Ezra Taft Benson explained: “Repentance means more than simply a reformation of behavior. … True repentance is based on, and flows from, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no other way. True repentance involves a change of heart and not just a change of behavior” (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson 1988, 71).

Mosiah 29:20

But behold, he did deliver them because they did humble themselves before him; and because they cried mightily unto him he did deliver them out of bondage; and thus doth the Lord work with his power in all cases among the children of men, extending the arm of mercy towards them that put their trust in him.

The result of faith is mercy. The ultimate end of mercy is deliverance, although the immediate result might be more trials. We must always remember in whom we trust and add patience to that trust. Without patience, trust is just a wish.

Mosiah 7:19

Therefore, lift up your heads, and rejoice, and put your trust in God, in that God who was the God of Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob; and also, that God who brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, and caused that they should walk through the Red Sea on dry ground, and fed them with manna that they might not perish in the wilderness; and many more things did he do for them.

Trusting in God brings joy and peace. He saved the Israelites from temporal destruction, and he can save us from spiritual destruction. He has the power.

Second Nephi 4:34

O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever. I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh; for I know that cursed is he that putteth his trust in the arm of flesh. Yea, cursed is he that putteth his trust in man or maketh flesh his arm.

Whether or not Nephi encounters stumbling blocks in his way -- and in fact many are still ahead of him at this point -- he knows how to get over them. His faith in God has gotten him over every obstacle thus far, and he will build on his experience of faith to see him through to the end. He knows he cannot depend on his own strength. He just said he is a wretched man. But God has kept his promises thus far that the righteous will prosper in the land. Nephi's money is on God over man every time.