God has led me from one thing to another

 I am reminded of my boyhood. At that early period of my life I learned to approach God. Many a time I have gone into the fields, and, concealing myself behind some bush, would bow before the Lord and call upon him to guide and direct me. And he heard my prayer. At times I would get other boys to accompany me. It would not hurt you, boys and girls, to call upon the Lord in your secret places, as I did. That was the spirit which I had when a little boy. And God has led me from one thing to another. … My spirit was drawn out after God then; and I feel the same yet.

Chapter 16: Strengthening Our Relationship with God

John Taylor

Teachings of Presidents

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/teachings-john-taylor/chapter-16?lang=eng&verse=#p

Sunday Latter-Day Saints ONLY

It is customary for men in the world from which we have gathered out, to talk on Sunday about spiritual things, when they are dressed in their Sunday coats and at meeting, and then on Monday to pack up their religion with their Sunday clothes in their trunks, to have nothing more to do with it until next Sunday. … O, the folly of man in not acknowledging God in all things, in laying aside God and his religion, and trusting in their own judgment and intelligence.

Chapter 12: The Sabbath Is a Holy Day

John Taylor

Teachings of Presidents

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/teachings-john-taylor/chapter-12?lang=eng&verse=#p

I think we ought to wake up and be alive, and endeavor to pursue a course that will secure the smile and approbation of the Almighty. …

 Are we preparing our children for this time, and spreading an influence around us wherever we go to lead people in the paths of life and lift them up to God? Or are we taking a downward course—come day, go day, just as it happens? I think we ought to wake up and be alive, and endeavor to pursue a course that will secure the smile and approbation of the Almighty. …

Chapter 7: Integrity

John Taylor

Teachings of Presidents

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/teachings-john-taylor/chapter-7?lang=eng&verse=#p

Living the doctrine of Christ can produce the most powerful virtuous cycle, creating spiritual momentum in our lives.

 Overcoming the world is not an event that happens in a day or two. It happens over a lifetime as we repeatedly embrace the doctrine of Christ. We cultivate faith in Jesus Christ by repenting daily and keeping covenants that endow us with power. We stay on the covenant path and are blessed with spiritual strength, personal revelation, increasing faith, and the ministering of angels. Living the doctrine of Christ can produce the most powerful virtuous cycle, creating spiritual momentum in our lives.

As we strive to live the higher laws of Jesus Christ, our hearts and our very natures begin to change. The Savior lifts us above the pull of this fallen world by blessing us with greater charity, humility, generosity, kindness, self-discipline, peace, and rest.

Overcome the World and Find Rest

Russell M. Nelson | October 2022

Jesus Christ's example provides a safe path through uncertainty and a loving, guiding hand to hold from day to day.

 Regularly asking, “What would the Lord Jesus Christ have me do?” reveals profound direction. Following His example provides a safe path through uncertainty and a loving, guiding hand to hold from day to day. He is the Prince of Peace and the Good Shepherd. He is our Comforter and Deliverer. He is our Rock and Refuge. He is a Friend—your friend and my friend! He invites us all to love God, keep His commandments, and love our neighbor....applying simple gospel principles will help us navigate through life’s challenges in the Lord’s way.

We sometimes underestimate the strength we receive from simple acts like prayer, fasting, scripture study, daily repentance, partaking of the sacrament weekly, and regular worship in the house of the Lord. But when we recognize that we don’t need to “do some great thing” and we center ourselves on applying pure and simple doctrine, we start to see how the gospel “works wonderfully” for us, even in the most challenging circumstances. We find strength and “confidence before God,” even when we experience heartache. Elder M. Russell Ballard has reminded us many times, “It is in that simplicity that [we] will find … peace, joy, and happiness.”...

Applying the simplicity that is in Christ makes us prioritize people over processes and eternal relationships over short-term behaviors.

Simplicity in Christ

October 2025

General Conference

Michael Cziesla

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2025/10/26cziesla?lang=eng&verse=#p

Accumulation of right choices, and from continuing repentance

“The gospel of Jesus Christ is a plan that shows us how to become what our Heavenly Father desires us to become. … “… This spotless and perfected state will result from a steady succession of covenants, ordinances, and actions, an accumulation of right choices, and from continuing repentance” 

(Dallin H. Oaks, “The Challenge to Become,” Ensign, Nov. 2000, 32, 33; Liahona, Jan. 2001, 40, 41; emphasis added); see also Moses 7:33.

Spiritual Manners

 Those who live “after the manner of happiness” (2 Ne. 5:27) also wisely develop protective, spiritual manners. These manners are reflected in their proper dress, language, humor, and music, thereby sending the signal of determined discipleship (see Prov. 23:7).

The Seventh Commandment: A Shield

October 2001

2000–2009

Neal A. Maxwell

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2001/10/the-seventh-commandment-a-shield?lang=eng&verse=#p

How We Should Behave as Latter-Day Saints in the Community of the World

 As followers of Christ, we ought to be the friendliest and most considerate of all people anywhere. We should teach our children to be kind and considerate of everyone. We should, of course, avoid the kinds of associations and activities that compromise our conduct or dilute our faith and worship. But that should not keep us from cooperative efforts with people of every persuasion—believers and nonbelievers.

Glad Tidings of Great Joy

December 2025

Liahona

Dallin H. Oaks

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2025/12/03-glad-tidings-of-great-joy?lang=eng&verse=#p

This gives me direction on should I participate in that good cause on Sunday or go to worship service.  

Give equal time, not spare time, to the Lord

 Give the Lord equal time. I counseled them to balance their studies with true higher learning, even a study of “the Son of the living God.”

I ask the same of everyone today: Whatever is on your to-do list, give equal time, not spare time, to the Lord in personal scripture study, family study of Come, Follow Me, prayer, Church callings, ministering, partaking of the sacrament, worshipping in the temple, and pondering the things of God. Our Lord and Savior has said, “Learn of me … and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” Take Him at His word. And give Him equal time.

Right Before Our Eyes

April 2025

General Conference

Ronald A. Rasband

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2025/04/15rasband?lang=eng&verse=#p

It’s just as important for families to clearly understand the why behind those traditions

 Doesn’t it seem reasonable to hope that if we keep the commandments and are sealed in the temple, we will be blessed with a large, happy family with bright, obedient children, all of whom stay active in the Church, serve missions, sing in the ward choir, and volunteer to help clean the meetinghouse every Saturday morning?

I certainly hope that all of us will see this in our lives. But what if it doesn’t happen? Will we stay bound to the Savior regardless of circumstances—trusting Him and His timing?

We must ask ourselves: Is my testimony based on what I hope to happen in my life? Is it dependent on the actions or attitudes of others? Or is it firmly founded on Jesus Christ, “rooted and built up in him,” regardless of life’s changing circumstances?

The Book of Mormon tells of a people who “were strict in observing the ordinances of God.” But then a skeptic named Korihor came along, mocking the Savior’s gospel, calling it the “foolish” and “silly traditions of their fathers.” Korihor led “away the hearts of many, causing them to lift up their heads in their wickedness.” But others he could not deceive, because to them, the gospel of Jesus Christ was much more than a tradition....Interestingly, Korihor’s arguments were entirely unpersuasive among the recently converted Lamanites, the people of Ammon (see Alma 30:19–20), who were following Christ not because of the tradition of their fathers. By contrast, the Book of Mormon also tells of a generation of young people who separated themselves from the Lord’s Church because “they did not believe the tradition of their fathers” (see Mosiah 26:1–4). It’s good for families to establish righteous traditions. But it’s just as important for families to clearly understand the why behind those traditions. Why do we pray every morning and night? Why do we have family scripture study? Why do we hold weekly home evening, family activities and service projects, and so on? If our children understand how these traditions draw us closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, they’ll be more likely to continue them—and improve on them—in their own families.

Nourish the Roots, and the Branches Will Grow

October 2024

General Conference

Dieter F. Uchtdorf

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2024/10/51uchtdorf?lang=eng&verse=#p

Focus Less on Doing and More on Strengthening Our Covenant Connection with Heavenly Father

 When our focus is less on doing and more on strengthening our covenant connection with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, I testify that each of these sacred moments will be enriched, and we will receive the guidance needed in our personal lives

Seek Him with All Your Heart

October 2024

General Conference

L. Todd Budge

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2024/10/45budge?lang=eng&verse=#p

None of this Works If We Keep Cutting Class

Through abundance as well as poverty, through private acclaim as well as public criticism, through the divine elements of the Restoration as well as the human foibles that will inevitably be part of it, we stay the course with the true Church of Christ. Why? Because as with our Redeemer, we signed on for the whole term—not ending with the first short introductory quiz but through to the final exam. The joy in this is that the Headmaster gave us all open-book answers before the course began. Furthermore, we have a host of tutors who remind us of these answers at regular stops along the way. But of course, none of this works if we keep cutting class.

 I Am He, Jeffrey R. Holland,  October 2024 General Conference

Holiness to the Lord is intended to bless all aspects of our daily life.

 Holiness to the Lord is intended to bless all aspects of our daily life.

Gerritt W. Gong, October 2024 General Conference

The Work That Lies Ahead

 Whatever level of spirituality we now enjoy in our lives; whatever degree of faith in Jesus Christ we now have; whatever strength of commitment and consecration; whatever degree of obedience, hope, or charity is ours; and whatever level of professional skill or ability we have obtained, it will not be sufficient for the work that lies ahead....

I believe this message fits into a beautiful pattern the Lord has established in the Restoration, beginning with His appearance with His Father to Joseph Smith in 1820. Line upon line, precept upon precept, and step by step, Jesus Christ has built up His Church and His people. He has said:

For I will raise up unto myself a pure people, that will serve me in righteousness.1

That the work of the gathering together of my saints may continue, that I may build them up unto my name upon holy places; for the time of harvest is come, and my word must needs be fulfilled.2

My people must be tried in all things, that they may be prepared to receive the glory that I have for them, even the glory of Zion.3

The Lord’s Pattern,Kim B. Clark, Com missioner of Education and General Authority Seventy, August 22, 2016

For me, the application of the first great commandment can sometimes feel abstract, even daunting

 The first, to love the Lord with all your heart, soul, and mind.

In this answer, Jesus Christ condenses the essence of the law embodied in the sacred teachings of the Old Testament. To love the Lord centers first on your heart—your very nature. The Lord asks that you love with all your soul—your entire consecrated being—and finally, to love with all your mind—your intelligence and intellect. Love for God is not limited or finite. It is infinite and eternal.

For me, the application of the first great commandment can sometimes feel abstract, even daunting. Gratefully, as I consider further words of Jesus, this commandment becomes much more graspable: “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” This I can do. I can love Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, which then leads to prayer, scripture study, and temple worship. We love the Father and the Son through the payment of tithes, keeping the Sabbath day holy, living a virtuous and chaste life, and being obedient.

Loving the Lord is often measured in small daily deeds, footsteps on the covenant path: for young people, using social media to build up rather than tear down; leaving the party, movie, or activity where standards might be challenged; showing reverence for things sacred.

Bridging the Two Great Commandments

April 2024

General Conference

Gary E. Stevenson

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2024/04/53stevenson?lang=eng&verse=

A Story of Not Taking Offense When It Was Justified

 Years ago, Elder John H. Groberg related the story of a young family living in a small branch in Hawaii in the early 1900s. They had been members of the Church for about two years when one of their daughters fell ill with an undiagnosed disease and was hospitalized. At church the next Sunday, the father and his son prepared the sacrament as they did most weeks, but as the young father knelt to bless the bread, the branch president, suddenly realizing who was at the sacrament table, jumped up and cried, “Stop. You can’t touch the sacrament. Your daughter has an unknown disease. Leave immediately while someone else fixes new sacrament bread. We can’t have you here. Go.” The stunned father searchingly looked at the branch president and then the congregation and, sensing the depth of anxiety and embarrassment from all, motioned to his family, and they quietly filed out of the chapel.

Not a word was said as, dejectedly, the family walked along the trail to their small home. There they sat in a circle, and the father said, “Please be silent until I am ready to speak.” The young son wondered what they would do to get revenge for the shame they had suffered: would they kill the branch president’s pigs, or burn his house, or join another church? Five, ten, fifteen, twenty-five minutes passed in silence.

The father’s clenched fists began to relax, and tears formed. The mother began to cry, and soon each of the children was quietly weeping. The father turned to his wife and said, “I love you,” and then repeated those words to each of their children. “I love all of you and I want us to be together, forever, as a family. And the only way that can be is for all of us to be good members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and be sealed by the holy priesthood in the temple. This is not the branch president’s church. It is the Church of Jesus Christ. We will not allow any man or any hurt or embarrassment or pride to keep us from being together forever. Next Sunday we will go back to church. We will stay by ourselves until our daughter’s sickness is known, but we will go back.”

They did go back, their daughter recovered, and the family was sealed in the Laie Hawaii Temple when it was completed. Today, well over 100 souls call their father, grandfather, and great-grandfather blessed because he kept his eyes on eternity.

The Testimony of Jesus

April 2024

General Conference

D. Todd Christofferson

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2024/04/51christofferson?lang=eng&verse=#p

Jesus Christ will lead and guide you in your personal life if you will make time for Him in your life—each and every day.

 The Lord knows you and loves you. He is your Savior and your Redeemer. He leads and guides His Church. He will lead and guide you in your personal life if you will make time for Him in your life—each and every day.

October 2021 General Conference, Russell M. Nelson, Make Time for the Lord

One of the most important things you can do … is to immerse yourselves in the scriptures.

Our mortal experience requires that we walk by faith. At times we can become irritated. Family members and those we associate with may disappoint us. We may sometimes feel tired, faint, weary, and tempted on every side. Conditions in this world may cause us to wonder if indeed “the devil laugheth, and his angels rejoice” over our plight (3 Nephi 9:2). Given these situations and trials, particularly in these last days, our enthusiasm for living the gospel can wane if we are not diligent.

But we can follow basic religious practices to protect ourselves, even when life is hard. These personal religious practices are essential to strengthening our faith, maintaining our ability to resist temptation, and remembering our spiritual experiences. They help us grow spiritually and overcome Satan’s tactics.

The testimonies of two latter-day prophets on the blessings of two of these personal religious practices are noteworthy:

President Ezra Taft Benson (1899–1994) testified:

“One of the most important things you can do … is to immerse yourselves in the scriptures. Search them diligently. Feast upon the words of Christ. Learn the doctrine. Master the principles that are found therein. There are few other efforts that will bring greater dividends. … There are few other ways to gain greater inspiration. …

“… When individual members and families immerse themselves in the scriptures regularly and consistently, … testimonies will increase. Commitment will be strengthened. Families will be fortified. Personal revelation will flow.”

A Change of Heart: “Can Ye Feel So Now?”

June 2024

Liahona

Brook P. Hales

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2024/06/come-follow-me/18-a-change-of-heart-can-ye-feel-so-now?lang=eng&verse=#p

With clear belief and conviction come clear and compelling commitments

 The truths of the gospel do not require the defense and loyalty of the Saints to maintain them. They are true in and of themselves. But belief in general can become so vague as to have neither motivating nor saving power, and near-infidels can claim adherence (see James 2:19–20). By contrast, a conviction that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true and guided by the Lord leads one to attend meetings, pay tithes and offerings, serve in callings, receive ordinances, and keep the associated covenants. With clear belief and conviction come clear and compelling commitments. In other words, once we know it is true, we become morally obligated to act like it’s true.

What Do We Mean When We Say the Church Is True?

June 2024

Liahona

J. Devn Cornish

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2024/06/06-what-do-we-mean-when-we-say-the-church-is-true?lang=eng&verse=#p

It means that all our thoughts are circumscribed in His love, His life and teachings, and His atoning sacrifice and glorious Resurrection

Filling our mind with the power of Jesus Christ does not mean that He is the only thought we have. But it does mean that all our thoughts are circumscribed in His love, His life and teachings, and His atoning sacrifice and glorious Resurrection. Jesus is never in a forgotten corner, because our thoughts of Him are always present and “all that is in [us adores] him!” We pray and rehearse in our mind experiences that have brought us closer to Him. We welcome into our mind divine images, holy scriptures, and inspired hymns to gently cushion the countless daily thoughts rushing through our busy lives. Our love for Him does not shield us from the sadness and sorrow in this mortal life, but it allows us to walk through the challenges with a strength far beyond our own.

My Mind Caught Hold upon This Thought of Jesus Christ

April 2023

Relief Society and Elders Quorum

Neil L. Andersen

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2023/04/45andersen?lang=eng&verse=#p