As I have dived deeper into Elder David A. Bednar’s talk, But We Needed Them Not, it has really made me ponder my own discipleship and where I am on “the path.” It’s been an experience I am grateful for.
Early on in his talk, Elder Bednar speaks about Lehi’s vision of the tree of life. And mentions the mocking and temptations that came from the great and spacious building and how the people “heeded them not.” He goes on to state that to heed suggests “taking notice of or paying attention to someone or something.”
One of my new year’s resolutions this year was to be more intentional with my time. And I don’t know if it is just because I am more aware of my time because of this resolution, or maybe I am being tempted more with this because of my resolution, but my oh my, I have been so frustrated lately with this.
Now I feel pretty confident in saying that I am not following anything or anyone that is against the gospel or anything of that nature. However, a couple questions have come to me to ponder. Am I giving attention to those things in the great and spacious building? Am I distracting myself with things that do not matter in the eternal perspective of things?
I think this may be one of Satan’s most cunning traps in our day. It is not to immediately run over to the great and spacious building. In fact, I don’t know if we even realize when we’ve let go of the rod and begin to wander. We are put into this gray, misty area where we think we are safe, but we are wandering. Until one day, we might find ourselves in a place we never intended.
Elder Bednar states that we have to make an “affirmative decision” to pay no attention. We can’t be complacent with our spirituality. It has to be a decision that is made with purpose each day.
The bulk of Elder Bednar’s talk encourages us to make a personal connection with our Savior and our Father in Heaven through covenants and through holding fast to the word of God. I was struck with some of the language he used: remembering, honoring, strengthening, prayerfully, earnestly, consistently. These are not words to describe an individual that is loosey-goosey in their discipleship.
I have work to do. I hope to become the type of disciple that I want to be and the Lord expects me to be. I want to have the kind of relationship Elder Bednar spoke of, a deeply personal and spiritually powerful relationship with my Savior and Heavenly Father.
Now, I don’t know if this is the direction Elder Bednar meant to go with his talk, but this is where my thoughts went as I studied. I hope I can strengthen my relationships with my Father in Heaven and Savior, Jesus Christ. I hope that I can be purposeful in my daily life, to heed not the influences of the world. And if I can do that, Elder Bednar leaves us with a promise, “As we are bound and “hold fast” to the Lord and are transformed by living His doctrine, I promise that individually and collectively we will be blessed to “stand in holy places, and shall not be moved.”
Highlights
“I pray that the Holy Ghost will bless and enlighten each of us as we consider together how e can be strengthened to “heed not” the evil influences and mocking voices of the contemporary world in which we live.
The word heed suggests taking notice of or paying attention to someone or something. Thus, the lyrics of the hymn “Let Us All Press On” admonish us to make an affirmative decision to pay no attention to “what the wicked may say.”
Faith focused in and on the Lord Jesus Christ fortified us with spiritual strength. Faith in the Redeemer is a principle of action and of power. As we act in accordance with the truths of His gospel, we are blessed with the spiritual capacity to press forward through the challenges of mortality while focusing on the joys the Savior offers to us.
Entering into sacred covenants and worthily receiving priesthood ordinances yoke us with and bind us to the Lord Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father. This simply means that we trust in the Savior as our Advocate and Mediator and rely on His merits, mercy, and grace during the journey of life. As we are steadfast in coming unto Christ and are yoked with Him, we receive the cleansing, healing, and strengthening blessings of His infinite and eternal Atonement.
As we honor the conditions of sacred covenants and ordinances, we gradually and incrementally are drawn closer to Him and experience the impact of His divinity and living reality in our lives. Jesus then becomes much more than the central character in scripture stories; His example and teachings influence our every desire, thought, and action.
I witness that the connections with [the Son of God] and Heavenly Father are real and are the ultimate sources of assurance, peace, joy, and the spiritual strength that enable us to “fear not, though the enemy deride.”
Gospel covenants and ordinances operate in our lives much like a compass…Our covenants and ordinances point us to and help us always remember our connection with the Lord Jesus Christ as we progress along the covenant path.
The cardinal direction for all of us in mortality is to come unto and be perfected in Christ. Holy covenants and ordinances help us to keep our focus upon the Savior and strive, with His grace, to become more like Him.
Our covenant connection with God and Jesus Christ is the channel through which we can receive the capacity and strength to “heed not.” And this bond is strengthened as we continually hold fast to the rod of iron.
The ability to resist the temptations and the fiery darts of the adversary is promised to those individuals who “hold fast to” rather than merely “cling to” the word of God.
Holding fast to the word of God entails (1) remembering, honoring, and strengthening the personal connection we have with the Savior and His Father through the covenants and ordinances of their restored gospel and (2) prayerfully, earnestly, and consistently using the holy scriptures and the teachings of living prophets and apostles as sure sources of revealed truth. As we are bound and “hold fast” to the Lord and are transformed by living His doctrine, I promise that individually and collectively we will be blessed to “stand in holy places, and shall not be moved.” If we abide in Christ, then He will abide in and walk with us.
Press on. Hold fast. Heed not.
I witness that fidelity to the covenants and ordinances of the Savior’s restored gospel enables us to press on in the work of the Lord, to hold fast to Him as the Word of God, and to heed not the allurements of the adversary. In the fight for right, may each of us wield a sword, even “the mighty sword of truth.'”
FULL text and video of Elder David A. Bednar’s talk can be found HERE.
Other messages from the April 2022 General Conference that I have found particularly impactful:
- The Power of Spiritual Momentum by President Russell M. Nelson
- Steady in the Storms by President Henry B. Eyring
- Your Divine Nature and Eternal Destiny by Elder Dale G. Renlund
- Divine Love in the Father’s Plan by President Dallin H. Oaks
- Our Heartfelt All by Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf
