October 2024 General Conference: The Promises, Counsels and Challenges
During the 2 days the General Conference for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was held, many promises, counsels, and challenges were presented. Here are some of the ones that stuck out to me as I looked back at that weekend.
Neil L. Andersen – Saturday Morning Session
Brothers and sisters, the peace you seek may not come as quickly as you desire, but I promise you that as you trust in the Lord, His peace will come.
Emily Belle Freeman – Saturday Morning Session
“Live up to your privileges.”
Learn how priesthood ordinances and covenant promises will allow God’s power to flow into your life with greater efficacy, working in and through you, empowering and equipping you to reach your full purpose and potential.
Carefully study and ponder the Aaronic and the Melchizedek Priesthood ordinances, the covenant promises we make with each, and the power of God we access through those ordinances.
Karl D. Hirst – Saturday Morning Session
If you do feel filled with love in this season of your life, please try and hold on to it as effectively as a sieve holds water. Splash it everywhere you go. One of the miracles of the divine economy is that when we try to share Jesus’s love, we find ourselves being filled up in a variation of the principle that “whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.”
Let’s become “rooted and grounded” in our Jesus and in His love. Let’s look for and treasure experiences of feeling His love and power in our lives.
Dale G. Renlund – Saturday Morning Session
The access to God’s covenantal power and His covenantal love is through His Church.
I invite you to commit yourself more fully to the Savior, His gospel, and His Church. As you do so, you will find that the combination of the Savior’s gospel and His Church brings power into your life. This power is far greater than dynamite. It’ll shatter the rocks in your way, transform you into an inheritor in God’s kingdom. And you will be “filled with that joy which is unspeakable and full of glory.”
David P. Homer – Saturday Morning Session
At all times, it is helpful to remember Alma’s teaching that God gives His word according to the attention and effort we devote to it. If we heed God’s word, we will receive more; if we ignore His counsel, we will receive less and less until we have none.
If we reach out to Him, He will assist us.
While reaching out to Him can be difficult, just as the father who sought healing for his son was told by the Savior, “All things are possible to him that believeth.”
I bear witness of God, our Eternal Father, who loves us; of His Son, Jesus Christ, who saved us. They know our hurts and challenges. They will never forsake us and know perfectly how to succor us. We can be of good cheer as we trust Them more than anyone or anything else.
Gregorio E. Casillas – Saturday Morning Session
Because we have been reserved for these latter days, it is crucial for us to learn to be disciples of Jesus Christ.
While it’s certainly important to prepare yourself to succeed in this very competitive world, one of your crucial missions throughout your life is to become a disciple of Jesus Christ and to follow the impressions of the Spirit. As you do this, God will bless your life; He will bless your current or future family; and He will bless the lives of His children who you encounter.
Dallin H. Oaks – Saturday Morning Session
Following Christ is not a casual or occasional practice. It is a continuous commitment and way of life that should guide us at all times and in all places. His
As followers of Christ, we teach and testify of Jesus Christ, our Perfect Role Model. So let us follow Him by forgoing contention. As we pursue our preferred policies in public actions, let us qualify for His blessings by using the language and methods of peacemakers. In our families and other personal relationships, let us avoid what is harsh and hateful. Let us seek to be holy, like our Savior, in whose holy name I testify and invoke His blessing to help us be Saints.
D. Todd Christofferson – Saturday Afternoon Session
If our love of God and our determination to serve Him with all our might, mind, and strength become the touchstone by which we judge all things and make all our decisions, we will have buried our weapons of rebellion. By the grace of Christ, God will forgive our sins and rebellions of the past and will take away the stain of those sins and rebellions from our hearts. In time, He will even take away any desire for evil, as He did with those Lamanite converts of the past.
Burying our weapons of rebellion leads to a unique joy.
Our Heavenly Father and His Son, our Redeemer, have confirmed Their unending commitment to our ultimate happiness through the most profound love and sacrifice.
Jose A. Teixeira – Saturday Afternoon Session
When our lives are filled with purpose and service, we avoid spiritual apathy; on the other hand, when our lives are deprived of divine purpose, meaningful service to others, and sacred opportunities for pondering and reflection, we gradually become suffocated by our own activity and self-interest, risking losing our savor. The antidote to this is to continue to be involved in service—being anxiously engaged in good works and the betterment of ourselves and the society we live in.
Here are four simple yet profound ways we can strive to be the salt of the earth:
- Keeping the house of the Lord at the center of our devotion. Now that temples are closer than ever before, prioritizing regular worship in the house of the Lord will help us focus on what matters most and keep our lives centered in Christ. In the temple, we find the heart of our faith in Jesus Christ and the soul of our devotion to Him.
- Being deliberate in our efforts to strengthen others by living the gospel together. We can strengthen our families through consistent and intentional efforts to bring gospel principles into our lives and to our homes.
- Being willing to accept a calling and serving in the Church. Service in our local congregations allows us to support one another and grow together. While serving is not always convenient, it is always rewarding.
- And finally, using digital communication tools with purpose. Today, digital communication tools allow us to connect as never before. Like most of you, I use these tools to connect with brothers and sisters in the Church and with my family and friends. As I connect with them, I feel closer to them; we can minister to each other in times of need when we cannot be physically present. These tools are undoubtedly a blessing, yet these very same tools can drag us away from the depth of meaningful interactions and eventually cause us to be pulled into habits that waste our time in less purposeful activities. Striving to be the salt of the earth includes so much more than an endless scrolling of reels on a six-inch (15 cm) screen.
As we keep the house of the Lord central in our lives, intentionally strengthen others by living the gospel, accept callings to serve, and use digital tools with purpose, we can preserve our spiritual vitality.
Juan Pablo Villar – Saturday Afternoon Session
If we think celestial, we will understand that in our lives we will face challenges that seem greater than our capacity to overcome them.
As we reach out to Him in faith, He will always be there, and in His time, He will be ready and willing to grasp our hands and pull us up to a safe place.
If we think celestial, we will recognize Jesus Christ as a flawless example of ministry.
As we exercise faith in Him, He will save us from our fallen state, beyond our challenges, infirmities, and needs in this temporal life, and give us the greatest of all gifts, which is eternal life.
We must do our part and turn to Him in faith. His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, is our rescuer and will always be there.
Patrick Kearon – Saturday Afternoon Session
But we can all contribute, no matter our age or our calling, to making our sacrament meetings the joy-filled, Christ-focused, welcoming hour they can be, alive with a spirit of joyful reverence.
As we sing, are we joining together to praise our God and King? So let’s sing! And praise Him!
(During the Sacrament) In the stillness, we can ponder the many ways we have seen the Lord relentlessly pursue us with His wonderful love that week! We can reflect on what it means to “discover the joy of daily repentance.” We can give thanks for the times the Saviour entered into our struggles and our triumphs and the occasions when we felt His grace, forgiveness, and power giving us strength to overcome our hardships and bear our burdens with patience and even good cheer.
If you have yet to discover this joy, embark on its quest. This is an invitation to receive the Saviour’s gift of peace, light, and joy—to revel in it, to wonder at it, and to rejoice in it every Sabbath.
David L. Buckner – Saturday Afternoon Session
Brothers and sisters, we must stop looking for reasons to divide and instead seek opportunities to “be one.”
One of the promised blessings of “becoming one” is a powerful sense of belonging. Elder Quentin L. Cook taught that “the essence of truly belonging is to be one with Christ.”
We must heed the Savior’s call to build higher and holier relationships with all of God’s children. We must live our faith!
Coming to church offers the hope of better days, the promise that you are not alone, and a family who needs us as much as we need them.
May I invite each of us to be worthy of the Savior’s invitation to “be one” and to boldly declare, as He did, “Ye are my friends.”
D. Martin Goury – Saturday Afternoon Session
If there is something that you have not fully repented of, I encourage you to heed President Nelson’s call not to procrastinate your repentance.
When we are receptive to the guidance of the still, small voice, we are better equipped to more effectively minister to those in need.
Aroldo B. Cavalcante – Saturday Afternoon Session
As we turn to the Savior, He can “consecrate [our] afflictions for [our] gain” and help us respond to our trials in a way that facilitates our spiritual progression.
Your transformation from your natural to spiritual self will occur “line upon line, precept upon precept” as you earnestly strive to serve Jesus Christ in the mission field through daily repentance, faith, exact obedience, and hard work to “find constantly, teach repentance, and baptize converts.”
Ulisses Soares – Saturday Afternoon Session
While it is true that each of us travels an individualized discipleship journey on the covenant path, striving to keep our hearts and minds centered on Christ Jesus, we need to be careful and constantly vigilant to not be tempted to adopt this type of worldly philosophy in our life.
My dear friends, when we choose to let God be the most powerful influence in our life over our self-serving pursuits, we can make progress in our discipleship and increase our capacity to unite our mind and heart with the Savior.
I testify to you that following the Lord’s will in our life will enable us to find the most precious pearl in the world—the kingdom of heaven.
Gerrit W. Gong – Saturday Evening Session
Holiness to the Lord in everyday life includes tender moments when loved ones pass.
Of course, holiness to the Lord in everyday life includes coming more often to the Lord in His holy house. This is true whether we are Church members or friends.
Holiness to the Lord makes daily living sacred.
As did my friend, you may wonder if your Heavenly Father loves you. The answer is a resounding, absolute yes! We can feel His love as we make holiness to the Lord ours each day, happy and forever.
Kristin M. Yee – Saturday Evening Session
Repenting allows us to feel God’s love and to know and love Him in ways we would never otherwise know.
The redeeming power of Jesus Christ is one of the greatest promised blessings of our covenants. Ponder this as you participate in sacred ordinances.
I know that through His atoning sacrifice, we can repent and truly be cleansed and redeemed.
But I testify that you are not beneath the Master’s reach.
I pray we may lay aside any “weapons of war” that we’ve consciously or even unconsciously taken up to defend ourselves from the blessings of God’s love. Weapons of pride, selfishness, fear, hate, offense, complacency, unrighteous judgment, jealousies—anything that would keep us from loving God with all our hearts and keeping all our covenants with Him.
Jorge M. Alvarado – Saturday Evening Session
If we are humble, this will help us come to recognize our dependence upon Jesus Christ and stir within our hearts a sincere desire to turn to the Savior and repent of our sins.
Brothers and sisters, the light of the Savior can reach us all, no matter our circumstances.
As we come unto Jesus Christ, our path of sincere repentance will eventually lead us to the Savior’s holy temple.
Serving regularly in the house of the Lord and striving to keep the sacred covenants we make there will increase both our desire and our ability to experience the change of heart, might, mind, and soul necessary for us to become more like our Savior.
Let us not wait until the end of our mortal lives to truly repent. Instead, let us now, no matter which part of the covenant path we are on, focus on the redemptive power of Jesus Christ and on Heavenly Father’s desire for us to return to Him.
David A. Bednar – Saturday Evening Session
Therefore, if we are not faithful and obedient, we can transform the God-given blessing of prosperity into a prideful curse that diverts and distracts us from eternal truths and vital spiritual priorities. We always must be on guard against a pride-induced and exaggerated sense of self-importance, a misguided evaluation of our own self-sufficiency, and seeking self instead of serving others.
And I testify that as we walk in the meekness of the Lord’s Spirit, we will avoid and overcome pride and have peace in Him.
Jeffrey R. Holland – Sunday Morning Session
So, if sometimes the harder you try, the more difficult it seems to get; if, just as you try to work on your limitations and your shortcomings, you find someone or something determined to challenge your faith; if, as you labor devotedly, you still feel moments of fear wash over you, remember that it has been so for some of the most faithful and marvelous people in every era of time.
When we stand before Him and see the wounds in His hands and feet, we will begin to comprehend what it meant for Him to bear our sins and be acquainted with grief, to be completely obedient to the will of His Father—all out of pure love for us.
Brook P. Hales – Sunday Morning Session
Despite the challenges, heartaches, and difficulties we all face, our loving, wise, and perfect Heavenly Father has designed the plan of happiness such that we are not destined to fail.
I testify that as we receive the ordinances of the gospel, enter into covenants with God and then keep those covenants, repent, serve others, and endure to the end, we too can have the assurance and complete trust in the Lord that mortality works!
L. Todd Budge – Sunday Morning Session
President Nelson has repeatedly pled with us to make time for the Lord in our lives—“each and every day.” He reminds us that “quiet time is sacred time—time that will facilitate personal revelation and instill peace.” But to hear the still voice of the Lord, he counseled, “you too must be still.”
Being still, however, requires more than just making time for the Lord—it requires letting go of our doubtful and fearful thoughts and focusing our hearts and minds on Him.
Being still is an act of faith and requires effort.
As we concentrate our hearts and minds on Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and listen to the still, small voice of the Holy Ghost, we will have greater clarity about what is most needful, develop deeper compassion, and find rest and strength in Him.
I testify that as we return often to the Lord with full purpose of heart, we will in quietness and confidence come to know Him and feel His infinite covenantal love for us.
Gary E. Stevenson – Sunday Morning Session
To receive eternal life, we must come unto Christ. As we do so “and help others do the same, we participate in God’s work of salvation and exaltation.”
First, live the gospel of Jesus Christ. Study the words of the prophets, and learn to love your Father in Heaven.
Reach out in compassion to care for those in need.
Invite all to receive the gospel.
Unite families for eternity.
I testify that those who approach the Lord with a sincere heart and real intent, those who have the name of the Savior upon their lips and the Holy Spirit in their souls, those who embark upon this grand and glorious pilgrimage will discover and experience bounteous celestial blessings and receive a witness that God hears you, knows you, and loves you. You will experience days never to be forgotten.
Bradley R. Wilcox – Sunday Morning Session
As you fulfill your birthright responsibilities, you are never alone. The Lord of the vineyard labors with you. You are working hand in hand with Jesus Christ. With
I testify that you are loved—and you are trusted—today, in 20 years, and forever. Don’t sell your birthright for a mess of pottage. Don’t trade everything for nothing. Don’t let the world change you when you were born to change the world. In
Henry B. Eyring – Sunday Morning Session
The Savior gives us the perfect example of how we should teach His doctrine. This doctrine is that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end blesses all of God’s children.
As we teach these principles to those we love, the Holy Ghost will help us to know the truth.
We should seize every opportunity to share the teachings of Jesus Christ with children.
If you pray, if you talk to God, and if you plead for His help for your loved one, and if you thank Him not only for help but for the patience and gentleness that come from not receiving all you desire right away or perhaps ever, then I promise you that you will draw closer to Him.
Dieter F. Uchtdorf – Sunday Afternoon Session
If you want a stronger testimony of the Book of Mormon, focus on its witness of Jesus Christ.
If you’re seeking a more meaningful experience in Church meetings or in the temple, try looking for the Savior in the sacred ordinances we receive there.
If you ever feel burned out or overwhelmed by your Church calling, try refocusing your service on Jesus Christ.
It is my sincere prayer and blessing that we will constantly nourish the roots of our faith in the Savior, in His doctrine, and in His Church.
Takashi Wada – Sunday Afternoon Session
I invite you to have faith in the message Nephi taught us—that the words of Christ and the Holy Ghost will direct you to “all things what [you] should do.” Everything!
I bear you my witness that the words of Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost will lead us to receive eternal life.
Ronald A. Rasband – Sunday Afternoon Session
Brothers and sisters, we need to do more lifting and less murmuring, more upholding the word of the Lord, His ways, and His prophet, who has said: “One of our greatest challenges today is distinguishing between the truths of God and the counterfeits of Satan.
Quentin L. Cook – Sunday Afternoon Session
To know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, we need to read, ponder, and pray about it and then act according to its precepts.
President Russell M. Nelson has said, “I promise that as you prayerfully study the Book of Mormon every day, you will make better decisions—every day.” He also promises that if “you daily immerse yourself in the Book of Mormon, you can be immunized against the evils of the day.”
My counsel for those who have in any way deviated from the covenant path is to return to the sacred scriptures, prophetic guidance, religious observance in the home, and the music of faith.
I. Raymondo Egbo – Sunday Afternoon Session
When we ignore the distractions of the world and focus on Christ and His gospel, we are guaranteed success beyond what we can fully imagine and can feel great joy. President Russell M. Nelson taught: “When the focus of our lives is on … Jesus Christ and His gospel, we can feel joy regardless of what is happening—or not happening—in our lives.”
As we focus on Christ and follow His prophet, we too will be led to Christ and the joy of His gospel.
Russell M. Nelson – Sunday Afternoon Session
In this conference, the Lord has spoken to us through His servants. I urge you to study their messages. Use them as a litmus test of what is true and what is not during the next six months.
Brothers and sisters, now is the time for you and for me to prepare for the Second Coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. Now is the time for us to make our discipleship our highest priority.
Here is my promise to you: Every sincere seeker of Jesus Christ will find Him in the temple. You will feel His mercy. You will find answers to your most vexing questions. You will better comprehend the joy of His gospel. (Emphasis not mine)
I urge you to devote time each week—for the rest of your life—to increase your understanding of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
It is neither too early nor too late for you to become a devout disciple of Jesus Christ. Then you will experience fully the blessings of His Atonement. You will also be more effective in helping to gather Israel.
