Faith: A Bond of Trust and Loyalty

Elder Sandino Roman of the Seventy shared a powerful message about faith. One of my favorite lines from his message was “faith in Jesus Christ is a bond of trust forged in loyalty and love.”

This conference felt so focused on relationship for me. I felt repeatedly prompted to ponder on my relationship with the Savior. Not what I knew about Him or believed about Him – but what my personal relationship looks like with Him. What attention do I give it? Is it a priority in my life? When I really think about it, is it a casual relationship or an intimate one? Those are all deeply personal questions and they have been important ones for me to ponder.

I love how Elder Roman invited us to think about faith as trust. And I have since thought of different relationships in my life. And I’ve thought of people I genuinely trust. And there are some relationships where I feel like I can trust in certain ways. But there are only a few special relationships where I feel like I can trust completely. Where I can be one hundred percent myself, where I can give the most precious parts of me and my family, to them. And I thought of how precious those relationships are to me and how I am consistently investing myself to those relationships.

And I thought about my relationship with Christ and if that is one of those special relationships. My immediate reaction wants to be “yes, of course” and I know at times it definitely is, but there are other times when I know I let distractions come and my interactions are, perhaps, less sincere.

I know what I want my relationship to be with my Savior, but this message reminded me that faith is a principle of action, and I need to put my faith into action and trust in Him and be dedicated to Him. In the good and the hard times. In the times of ease and in the times of despair.

Prompting

Nurture my relationship with Jesus Christ. Make that relationship, my number one. Center it on loyalty and faith. Trust in Him completely.

Invitation

Begin today to nurture your relationship with Jesus Christ.

My Favorite Takeaways

“Dear children and young people, today I want to talk to you about the essential principle of faith in Jesus Christ.

When we have faith in Christ, we recognize His blessings and develop a relationship of trust with Him.

Pray to your Heavenly Father as if it were the first time. Express your love and gratitude for His blessings. Even ask Him how He feels about you and about the direction your life is taking.

If you are sincere and humble, you will hear His answer and begin a personal and lasting relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Not only that, but your religious habits will become meaningful!

Notice that faith sprouts as we trust in Jesus Christ and blooms as we are faithful and loyal to Him. If you want a true relationship with Christ, show Him by making covenants and honoring them with faithfulness and loyalty. Making covenants with Jesus Christ builds hope. Honoring them builds faith.

Faith in Jesus Christ is a bond of trust forged in loyalty and love. In other words, in gratitude for God’s merciful love, we show our loyal love by keeping His commandments.

If you commit to being loyal to Him, He will manifest His love for you.

When you encounter dark and perilous situations, instead of walking toward them blindly, you will turn on your lamp filled with the oil of faith in Christ to shed glimmers of hope on the uncertain path. Your past experiences will increase your hope that the Lord will sustain you on your journey.

Our faith must be centered in Christ and our hope in His blessings, as He chooses to send them. “Expect miracles,” but “let God prevail in our lives.”

You belong to the family of God and are children of the covenant. Believe and trust in Jesus Christ. He will enable you to truly become His disciples.

I invite you to begin today to nurture your relationship with Jesus Christ. Make a commitment to never forsake Him.

Your loyalty, love, and trust in Christ will shape your character and identity after His. You will gain confidence and strength to overcome Satan’s attacks. And when you make mistakes, you will yearn for His forgiveness. Finally, your hope for the future will be bright. He will trust you with His power to accomplish anything He expects of you, even the power to return to His presence.

I testify to you of the joy that comes from singing “the song of redeeming love” and being “encircled about eternally in the arms of his love.”

FULL text and video of Elder Sandino Roman’s message can be found HERE.

Other messages from the April 2025 General Conference that I found particularly impactful:

• Confidence in the Presence of God by President Russell M. Nelson
• Right Before Our Eyes by Elder Ronald A. Rasband