As I am preparing for another weekend of goodness listening to a living Prophet, Apostles, and other leaders, I am reflecting on what I have learned from this last conference and the months that have followed.
Invitations
The invitations. My list for change.
- Choose a deeper relationship with God by making covenants with Him in the house of the Lord.
- Study the talks of our Prophet (including the beautiful teachings in the footnotes).
- If needed, speak with your Bishop and let them know of your desire to deepen your relationship with your Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ by making sacred covenants in the house of the Lord.
- Take some time to think about how I experience the light and Spirit of the Lord.
- Recognize and receive the Light of Christ.
- Choose Christ over the darkness of the world – always and forever.
- Qualify and become eligible to attend the temple.
- Visit the temple as frequently as circumstances will allow.
- Make and keep sacred covenants with God.
- If you didn’t find your ancestor yesterday, look again tomorrow.
- Strive each day to draw nearer to Jesus Christ.
- Come even more often to the Lord in His holy house.
- Consider the blessing of owning your own temple clothes.
- Come to God our Father and Jesus Christ.
- Reach out to others.
- Walk the path of covenants God has made available to each of us.
- Meet with your class, quorum, or family and think about what other strengths I need to acquire to remain faithful to God and overcome the world.
- Embark on the journey of following Jesus Christ and His way.
- Spend time in a sincere, full-hearted effort to draw near to God.
- Seek diligently for every day moments of hope, peace, and joy.
- Bring joy to others around me.
- Pray to know Heavenly Father is there.
- Pray to grow to become like Him.
- Pray to show His love to others.
- Live the doctrine of Christ repeatedly, iteratively, and intentionally and help others on their way.
- Act now to secure my place as one who is valiant in the testimony of Jesus.
- When I pass over a majestic suspension bridge or even when I see a picture, with its soaring towers, remember the two great commandments.
- Constantly make a very conscious effort to see both sides of every coin allotted to me in my life.
- Always be mindful of my Heavenly Father’s plan for me.
- Regularly find more time to worship in the house of the Lord.
- Pray for the temples that have been announced, that properties can be purchased, that governments will approve plans, that talented workers will see their gifts magnified, and that the sacred dedications will bring the approval of heaven and the visit of angels.
- Ponder what the Lord’s promise “[to] manifest myself to my people in mercy in this house” means to me personally.
- Consider how my life would be different if priesthood keys had not been restored to the earth.
- Rejoice that priesthood keys are once again on the earth!
- Carefully consider three statements:
- The gathering of Israel is evidence that God loves all of His children everywhere.
- The gospel of Abraham is further evidence that God loves all of His children everywhere.
- The sealing power is supernal evidence of how much God loves all of His children everywhere and wants each of them to choose to return home to Him.
- Repeatedly study the messages of this conference throughout the coming months.
Promises
Promises from our leaders are so powerful. Always look for the promises.
- As I repent and come boldly to the “throne of grace,” leaving before the Lord my alms and my heartfelt supplications. I will find mercy and compassion and forgiveness.
- Having the Spirit of the Lord’s house in me changes me, completely.
- As the foundation of my life is built upon the Savior, I am blessed to “be still” – to have a spiritual assurance that God is my Heavenly Father, I am His child, and Jesus Christ is my Savior.
- As I build the foundation of my life on the “rock” of Jesus Christ, I can be blessed by the Holy Ghost to receive an individual and spiritual stillness of the soul that enables me to know and remember that God is my Heavenly Father, I am His child, Jesus Christ is my Savior, and I can be blessed to do and overcome hard things.
- As I hear the voice of the Lord and allow Him to guide me on the Savior’s covenant path, I will be blessed with clear vision, spiritual understanding, and peace of heart and mind throughout my life.
- As I hold onto the iron rod, I will walk hand in hand with Jesus Christ.
- As you search the word of God for a deeper understanding of God’s eternal plan, accept these invitations, and strive to walk in His way, you will experience “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding,” even in the midst of sorrows.
- If I “feast upon the words of Christ”, that lead to salvation, our prophet’s words that guide and encourage me, and my own words that speak of who I am and what I hold dear, the powers of heaven will pour down upon me.
- Each time I trust God, He will be there to catch me and our relationship of trust will grow stronger and stronger until the day when I become one with Him and His Son.
- As I come worthily and prayerfully to His holy house, I will be armed with His power.
- Those who serve and worship in the house of the Lord can expect to receive answers to prayer, personal revelation, greater faith, strength, comfort, increased knowledge, increased power, help to think celestial and catch a vision of who I really am, who I can become, and the kind of life I can have forever, enhance the way I see myself and how I fit into God’s magnificent plan, I may “receive a fullness of the Holy Ghost”, have the power of God and angels having “charge over them”, and “no combination of wickedness” will prevail.
- Nothing will help me more to hold fast to the iron rod than worshipping in the temple. Nothing will protect me more as I encounter the worlds mists of darkness. Nothing will bolster my testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ and His Atonement or help me understand God’s magnificent plan more. Nothing will soothe my spirit more during times of pain. Nothing will open the heavens more. Nothing!
Personal Application
This list is for me. These are my personal thoughts and impressions of what my heart needs to be focused on.
- Make prayers my “sweetest hour”.
- Make my life a personal symbol of my love and deep gratitude for my Savior by keeping my covenants and obligations with God.
- Recognize and remember my heavenly rays of testimony.
- Obtain a higher and holier confidence in the covenants I have made through Jesus Christ by centering my life on Him.
- Live a life of integrity.
- Honor the covenants I have made in the temple.
- Build my foundation on the “rock” of Jesus Christ and develop an individual and spiritual stillness of my soul.
- Keep a clear spiritual vision focused on Jesus Christ.
- Testify of what I have seen and heard and know to be true.
- Adopt a “Christ-centric” perspective and place Him at the center of my life.
- Increase my faith and trust in the Lord, and His love for me that all things can work together for my good.
- Focus on my relationships with my children.
- Choose to be one with Christ and His commandments.
- Look for miracles in my life and record them.
- Seek to understand God’s foreordained blessings that were given to me.
- Improve my connection with Christ so that I can have confidence in overcoming the world.
- Be faithful in keeping both the lateral and the vertical bonds of the marriage covenant.
- Seek and find higher joy.
- Remember that words matter and I need to spend more time listening.
- Sincerely pray to my Heavenly Father.
- Intentionally and repeatedly live the doctrine of Jesus Christ to create spiritual momentum to endure to the end.
- Choose to trust God today and every day.
- My loving Father in Heaven and Savior love and want me.
- Trust in God’s divine purposes as I prove myself.
- Bind myself to Christ by keeping my covenants.
- Be valiant in my testimony of Jesus and increase my pursuit of personal holiness.
- Pray with faith and confidence to my loving Father in Heaven who will not let me fail.
- Strengthen my spiritual bridge to love my Heavenly Father and my Savior as well as others in my life with more care and devotion.
- Shift my focus and elevate my thoughts to the positive aspects of challenges.
- Find more time to worship in the house of the Lord.
- Study the Book of Mormon daily to increase my connection with God and Jesus Christ.
- Rejoice in the restoration of priesthood keys and worship in the temple regularly.
Honorable Mentions
Each message that is shared during conference is so beautiful – and I always appreciate them so much more when I study them afterwards. My top six messages – and those that I wrote some personal thoughts on, were:
- Rejoice in the Gift of Priesthood Keys by President Russell M. Nelson
- Covenant Confidence through Jesus Christ by Elder Ulisses Soares
- “Be Still, and Know That I Am God” by Elder David A. Bednar
- Jesus Christ at the Center of Our Lives by Elder Jose L. Alonso
- The Powerful Virtuous Cycle of the Doctrine of Christ by Elder Dale G. Renlund
- Put Ye On the Lord Jesus Christ by Sister J. Anette Dennis
But there are definitely more message that deserve an “honorable mention”. I truly loved these.
God’s Intent Is to Bring You Home
This was the first message given by Elder Patrick Kearon as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve. It was beautiful. He taught about the Plan of Salvation. He shared that the intent of the Plan of Salvation is:
- My happiness
- My redemption
- Extend mercy
- My salvation
CLICK HERE to read the whole message.
Foreordained to Serve
Elder Steven R. Bangerter of the Seventy gave a wonderful message about foreordination. I don’t feel like this is a topic talked about very often, but I love what he shared.
CLICK HERE to read the whole message.
A Higher Joy
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf always touches a special place in my heart. He spoke of joy and I loved every bit of it. The world is so heavy, and while I don’t feel like it’s helpful to ignore that hard is happening for so many, it’s also beautiful to look at the light as well. He spoke of finding pure, eternal joy. He gave three suggestions as we discover pure joy:
- Draw Near unto God
- Look for joy
- Bear One Another’s Burdens
CLICK HERE for read the whole message.
Faithful to the End
Sister Andrea Munoz Spannaus, of the Young Women General Presidency, gave a wonderful message on faith. She spoke of adding stones of strength to our spiritual backpack as we strive to overcome the world:
- My love for God
- My faith in my Savior, Jesus Christ
- The knowledge of my true identity
- My daily repentance
- My access to God’s power
- My testimony
CLICK HERE to read the whole message.
All Things for Our Good
Elder Gerrit W. Gong shared a message on adversity. He gave some beautiful invitations:
- Come even more often to the Lord in His holy house
- Consider the blessing of owning your own temple clothes
- Come to God our Father and Jesus Christ
CLICK HERE to read the whole message.
Motions of a Hidden Fire
The message by President Jeffrey R. Holland, was as tender as they come. He spoke of prayer and how it should be our very sweetest hour.
CLICK HERE to read the whole message.
Final Thoughts
I am grateful for this space. I hope it is an uplifting one for anyone who stumbles upon it. It is a place to share my family’s story, but also, I hope in even a small way, it uplifts and draws your thoughts to our Father in Heaven and our Savior, Jesus Christ. They are my everything. Sending love to all of us as we prepare to hear from our Prophet.
