After ten hours of general conference it can be difficult to keep track of all of the counsel our leaders give us. Never fear! We’ve searched through every single talk from the October 2020 general conference and have compiled a comprehensive list of counsel from each speaker. And FYI, they gave a lot of advice. Check out the table of contents (organized by session, in order of appearance) and click on whose counsel you’d like to jump to. Enjoy!

Saturday morning session

Russell M. Nelson: Moving Forward

David A. Bednar: We Will Prove Them Herewith

Scott D. Whiting: Becoming like Him

Michelle D. Craig: Eyes to See

Quentin L. Cook: Hearts Knit in Righteousness and Unity

Ronald A. Rasband: Recommended to the Lord

Dallin H. Oaks: Love Your Enemies

Saturday afternoon session

D. Todd Christofferson: Sustainable Societies

Steven J. Lund: Finding Joy in Christ

Gerrit W. Gong: All Nations, Kindreds, and Tongues

W. Christopher Waddell: There Was Bread

Matthew S. Holland: The Exquisite Gift of the Son

William K. Jackson: The Culture of Christ

Dieter F. Uchtdorf: God Will Do Something Unimaginable

Saturday evening session (Women’s Session)

Sharon Eubank: By Union of Feeling We Obtain Power with God

Becky Craven: Keep the Change

Cristina B. Franco: The Healing Power of Jesus Christ

Henry B. Eyring: Sisters in Zion

Dallin H. Oaks: Be of Good Cheer

Russell M. Nelson: Embrace the Future with Faith

Sunday morning session

M. Russell Ballard: Watch Ye therefore, and Pray Always

Lisa L. Harkness: Peace, Be Still

Ulisses Soares: Seek Christ in Every Thought

Carlos A. Godoy: I Believe in Angels

Neil L. Andersen: We Talk of Christ

Russell M. Nelson: Let God Prevail

Sunday afternoon session

Henry B. Eyring: Tested, Proved, and Polished

Jeremy R. Jaggi: Let Patience Have Her Perfect Work, and Count It All Joy

Gary E. Stevenson: Highly Favored of the Lord

Milton Camargo: Ask, Seek, and Knock

Dale G. Renlund: Do Justly, Love Mercy, and Walk Humbly with God

Kelly R. Johnson: Enduring Power

Jeffrey R. Holland: Waiting on the Lord

Russell M. Nelson: A New Normal

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Russell M. Nelson: Moving Forward

• “I pray that we as a people are using this unique time to grow spiritually. We are here on earth to be tested, to see if we will choose to follow Jesus Christ, to repent regularly, to learn, and to progress. Our spirits long to progress. And we do that best by staying firmly on the covenant path.”
• “As we gather to hear the words the Lord has inspired His servants to deliver, I invite you to ponder a promise the Lord made. He declared that ‘whosoever will may lay hold upon the word of God, which is quick and powerful, which shall divide asunder all the cunning … and the wiles of the devil, and lead the [disciple] of Christ in a strait and narrow course.’ I pray that you will choose to lay hold upon the word of God as it is declared during this general conference. And I pray that you may feel the Lord’s perfect love for you….”

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David A. Bednar: We Will Prove Them Herewith

• “He who authored the plan of salvation described the very purpose of our mortal probation using the words prove, examine, and try in ancient and modern scripture. ‘And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them.'”
• “…the Lord declared in 1833, ‘Therefore, be not afraid of your enemies, for I have decreed in my heart, saith the Lord, that I will prove you in all things, whether you will abide in my covenant, even unto death, that you may be found worthy.'”
• “The year 2020 has been marked, in part, by a global pandemic that has proved, examined, and tried us in many ways. I pray that we as individuals and families are learning the valuable lessons that only challenging experiences can teach us. I also hope that all of us will more fully acknowledge the ‘greatness of God’ and the truth that ‘he shall consecrate [our] afflictions for [our] gain.'”
• “Two basic principles can guide and strengthen us as we face proving and trying circumstances in our lives, whatever they may be: (1) the principle of preparation and (2) the principle of pressing forward with a steadfastness in Christ.”
• “As disciples of the Savior, we are commanded to ‘prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God.’ We also are promised that ‘if ye are prepared ye shall not fear. And that ye might escape the power of the enemy, and be gathered unto me a righteous people, without spot and blameless.'”
• “Our efforts to prepare for the proving experiences of mortality should follow the example of the Savior, who incrementally ‘increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man’—a blended balance of intellectual, physical, spiritual, and social readiness.”
• “Some Church members opine that emergency plans and supplies, food storage, and 72-hour kits must not be important anymore because the Brethren have not spoken recently and extensively about these and related topics in general conference. But repeated admonitions to prepare have been proclaimed by leaders of the Church for decades. The consistency of prophetic counsel over time creates a powerful concert of clarity and a warning volume far louder than solo performances can ever produce.”
• “We learn, for example, in the parable of the ten virgins that procrastinating preparation leads to unsuccessful proving.”
• “Effective and timely preparation precedes successful proving.”
• “‘Thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more.'”
• “I invite each of us to ‘consider [our] ways’ and ‘examine [ourselves], whether [we] be in the faith; [and] prove [our] own selves.’ What have we learned during these recent months of lifestyle adjustments and restrictions? What do we need to improve in our lives spiritually, physically, socially, emotionally, and intellectually? Now is the time to prepare and prove ourselves willing and able to do all things whatsoever the Lord our God shall command us.”
• “Faithfulness is not foolishness or fanaticism. Rather, it is trusting and placing our confidence in Jesus Christ as our Savior, on His name, and in His promises. As we ‘press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men,’ we are blessed with an eternal perspective and vision that stretches far beyond our limited mortal capacity. We will be enabled to ‘gather together, and stand in holy places’ and ‘be not moved, until the day of the Lord come.'”
• “[Elder Holland] answered: ‘We are witnessing an ever greater movement toward polarity. The middle-ground options will be removed from us as Latter-day Saints. The middle of the road will be withdrawn. If you are treading water in the current of a river, you will go somewhere. You simply will go wherever the current takes you. Going with the stream, following the tide, drifting in the current will not do. Choices have to be made. Not making a choice is a choice. Learn to choose now.'”
• “Foretelling the widening divergence between the ways of the Lord and of the world, Elder Holland warned that the days of comfortably having one foot in the restored Church and one foot in the world were vanishing quickly. This servant of the Lord was encouraging the young people to choose, prepare, and become devoted disciples of the Savior. He was helping them to prepare and press forward to and through the proving, examining, and trying experiences of their lives.”
• “I promise that as we both prepare and press forward with faith in the Savior, we all can receive the same grade on the ultimate examination of mortality: ‘Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.'”

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Scott D. Whiting: Becoming like Him

• “…what if becoming ‘even as [He is]’ is not figurative, even in our mortal condition? What if it is, to some degree, attainable in this life and, indeed, a prerequisite to being with Him again? What if ‘even as I am’ is exactly and precisely what is meant by the Savior? Then what? What level of effort would we be willing to give to invite His miraculous power into our lives so that we can change our very nature?”
• “Elder Neal A. Maxwell taught: ‘As we ponder having been commanded by Jesus to become like Him, we see that our present circumstance is one in which we are not necessarily wicked, but, rather, is one in which we are so half-hearted and so lacking in enthusiasm for His cause—which is our cause, too! We extol but seldom emulate Him.'”
• “…all are under the directive to become like Him, just as Jesus Christ became like the Father. As we progress, we become more complete, finished, and fully developed. Such teaching is not based on any one sect’s doctrines but comes directly from the Master Himself. It is through this lens that lives should be lived, communications considered, and relationships fostered. Truly, there is no other way to heal the wounds of broken relationships or of a fractured society than for each of us to more fully emulate the Prince of Peace.”
• “The first step on this path to becoming like Jesus Christ is to have the desire to do so. Understanding the admonition to be like Him is good, but that understanding needs to be coupled with a yearning to transform ourselves, one step at a time, beyond the natural man. To develop the desire, we must know who Jesus Christ is. We must know something of His character, and we must look for His attributes in scripture, worship services, and other holy places. As we begin to know more of Him, we will see His attributes reflected in others. This will encourage us on our own quest, for if others can attain in some measure His attributes, so can we.”
• “If we are honest with ourselves, the Light of Christ within us whispers that there is distance between where we are in comparison with the desired character of the Savior. Such honesty is vital if we are to progress in becoming like Him.”
• “…those of us who are brave might consider asking a trusted family member, spouse, friend, or spiritual leader what attribute of Jesus Christ we are in need of—and we may need to brace ourselves for the response! Sometimes we see ourselves with distorted fun-house mirrors that show us either much more round or much more lean than we really are.”
• “…it is vital that we also ask our loving Heavenly Father what we are in need of and where we should focus our efforts. He has a perfect view of us and will lovingly show us our weakness. Perhaps you will learn that you need greater patience, humility, charity, love, hope, diligence, or obedience, to name a few.”
• “It may also be helpful to honestly complete the Christlike attribute activity in chapter 6 of Preach My Gospel. Once you have made an honest assessment and resolved to start the hike up the mountain, you will need to repent. President Russell M. Nelson lovingly taught: ‘When we choose to repent, we choose to change! We allow the Savior to transform us into the best version of ourselves. We choose to grow spiritually and receive joy—the joy of redemption in Him. When we choose to repent, we choose to become more like Jesus Christ.'”
• “Becoming as Jesus Christ is will require changing our hearts and minds, indeed, our very character, and doing so is possible only through the saving grace of Jesus Christ.”
• “Now that you have resolved to change and repent and have sought guidance through praying, pondering honestly, and possibly counseling with others, you will need to select an attribute that will keenly become your focus. You will need to commit to exerting meaningful effort. These attributes won’t come cheaply and suddenly, but through His grace they will come incrementally while endeavoring.”
• “…our efforts to obtain these attributes will require heartfelt pleas for His divine assistance. If we seek these gifts to better serve others, He will bless us in our efforts. Selfishly pursuing a gift from God will end in disappointment and frustration.”
• “By focusing deeply on one needed attribute, as you progress in obtaining that attribute, other attributes begin to accrue to you. Can someone who is focusing deeply on charity not increase in love and humility? Can someone who is focusing on obedience not gain greater diligence and hope? Your significant efforts to gain one attribute become the tide that raises all boats in the harbor.”
• “It is important for me as I strive to become like Him to record my experiences and what I am learning.”
• “In order to see real progress, you will need to put in sustained effort. Much like climbing a mountain requires preparation before and endurance and perseverance during ascent, so too will this journey require real effort and sacrifice. True Christianity, in which we strive to become like our Master, has always required our best efforts.”
• “You are good enough, you are loved, but that does not mean that you are yet complete. There is work to be done in this life and the next. Only with His divine help can we all progress toward becoming like Him.”
• “In these times, when ‘all things [appear to] be in commotion; and … fear [is seemingly] upon all people,’ the only antidote, the only remedy, is to strive to be like the Savior, the Redeemer of all mankind, the Light of the World, and to seek after He who declared, ‘I am the way.'”

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Michelle D. Craig: Eyes to See

• “There may be times when you, like the servant, find yourself struggling to see how God is working in your life—times when you feel under siege—when the trials of mortality bring you to your knees. Wait and trust in God and in His timing, because you can trust His heart with all of yours. But there is a second lesson here. My dear sisters and brothers, you too can pray for the Lord to open your eyes to see things you would not normally see.”
• “Perhaps the most important things for us to see clearly are who God is and who we really are—sons and daughters of heavenly parents, with a ‘divine nature and eternal destiny.’ Ask God to reveal these truths to you, along with how He feels about you. The more you understand your true identity and purpose, soul deep, the more it will influence everything in your life.”
• “Columnist David Brooks said: ‘Many of our society’s great problems flow from people not feeling seen and known. … [There is a] core … trait that we all have to get … better at[, and that] is the trait of seeing each other deeply and being deeply seen.'”
• “Even in our busy lives, we can follow the example of Jesus and see individuals—their needs, their faith, their struggle, and who they can become.”
• “As I pray for the Lord to open my eyes to see things I might not normally see, I often ask myself two questions and pay attention to the impressions that come: ‘What am I doing that I should stop doing?’ and ‘What am I not doing that I should start doing?'”
• “As with all gifts the Father so willingly offers, seeing deeply requires us to ask Him—and then act. Ask to see others as He does—as His true sons and daughters with infinite and divine potential. Then act by loving, serving, and affirming their worth and potential as prompted. As this becomes the pattern of our lives, we will find ourselves becoming ‘true followers of … Jesus Christ.’ Others will be able to trust our hearts with theirs. And in this pattern we will also discover our own true identity and purpose.”

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Quentin L. Cook: Hearts Knit in Righteousness and Unity

• “Righteousness and unity are profoundly significant. When people love God with all their hearts and righteously strive to become like Him, there is less strife and contention in society. There is more unity.”
• “Unity is enhanced when people are treated with dignity and respect, even though they are different in outward characteristics.”
• “Our desire is that our hearts and minds will be knit in righteousness and unity and that we will be one with [Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ].”
• “Righteousness is a broad, comprehensive term but most certainly includes living God’s commandments. It qualifies us for the sacred ordinances that constitute the covenant path and blesses us to have the Spirit give direction to our lives.”
• “…the Lord has promised that the righteous who are faithful ‘may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness.'”
• “Unity is also a broad, comprehensive term but most certainly exemplifies the first and second great commandments to love God and love our fellowmen. It denotes a Zion people whose hearts and minds are ‘knit together in unity.'”
• “…the millions who have accepted the gospel of Jesus Christ have committed themselves to achieving both righteousness and unity. We are all aware that we can do better, and that is our challenge in this day. We can be a force to lift and bless society as a whole. At this 200-year hinge point in our Church history, let us commit ourselves as members of the Lord’s Church to live righteously and be united as never before. President Russell M. Nelson has asked us ‘to demonstrate greater civility, racial and ethnic harmony and mutual respect.’ This means loving each other and God and accepting everyone as brothers and sisters and truly being a Zion people.”
• “With our all-inclusive doctrine, we can be an oasis of unity and celebrate diversity. Unity and diversity are not opposites. We can achieve greater unity as we foster an atmosphere of inclusion and respect for diversity.”
• “Early in the Book of Mormon, approximately 550 years before the birth of Christ, we are taught the fundamental commandment regarding the relationship between Father in Heaven’s children. All are to keep the Lord’s commandments, and all are invited to partake of the Lord’s goodness; ‘and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile.'”
• “The Savior acknowledged that the Father had sent Him and that He, the Savior, had finished the work He was sent to do. He prayed for His disciples and for those who would believe in Christ: ‘That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us.’ Oneness is what Christ prayed for prior to His betrayal and Crucifixion.”
• “In the first year after the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ, recorded in section 38 of the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord speaks of wars and wickedness and declares, ‘I say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine.'”
• “The culture of the gospel of Jesus Christ is not a Gentile culture or a Judaic culture. It is not determined by the color of one’s skin or where one lives. While we rejoice in distinctive cultures, we should leave behind aspects of those cultures that conflict with the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
• “If we are to follow President Nelson’s admonition to gather scattered Israel, we will find we are as different as the Jews and Gentiles were in Paul’s time. Yet we can be united in our love of and faith in Jesus Christ.”
• “Paul’s Epistle to the Romans establishes the principle that we follow the culture and doctrine of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the model for us even today. The ordinances of the temple unite us in special ways and allow us to be one in every eternally significant way.”
• “We honor our pioneer members across the world not because they were perfect but because they overcame hardships, made sacrifices, aspired to be Christlike, and were striving to build faith and be one with the Savior. Their oneness with the Savior made them one with each other. This principle is true for you and me today.”
• “The clarion call to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is to strive to be a Zion people who are of one heart and one mind and dwell in righteousness. It is my prayer that we will be righteous and united and completely focused on serving and worshipping our Savior, Jesus Christ, of whom I testify.”

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Ronald A. Rasband: Recommended to the Lord

• “Whether for youth or adults, your temple recommend interview is not about do’s and don’ts. A recommend is not a checklist, a hall pass, or a ticket for special seating. It has a much higher and holier purpose. To qualify for the honor of a temple recommend, you must live in harmony with the teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”
• “In your interview you have the opportunity to search your soul about your personal faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement. You have the blessing to express your testimony of the restored gospel; your willingness to sustain those whom the Lord has called to lead His Church; your faith in the doctrine of the gospel; your fulfillment of family responsibilities; and your qualities of honesty, chastity, fidelity, obedience, and observance of the Word of Wisdom, the law of tithing, and the sanctity of the Sabbath day. Those are bedrock principles of a life devoted to Jesus Christ and His work.”
• “Your temple recommend reflects a deep, spiritual intent that you are striving to live the laws of the Lord and love what He loves: humility, meekness, steadfastness, charity, courage, compassion, forgiveness, and obedience. And you commit yourself to those standards when you sign your name to that sacred document.”
• “Putting off our shoes at the door of the temple is letting go of worldly desires or pleasures that distract us from spiritual growth, setting aside those things which sidetrack our precious mortality, rising above contentious behavior, and seeking time to be holy.”
• “By divine design, our physical body is a creation of God, a temple for our spirit, and should be treated with reverence. So true are the words of the Primary song: ‘My body is a temple [that] needs the greatest care.’ When the Lord appeared to the Nephites, He commanded, ‘Be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me.’ ‘What manner of men ought ye to be?’ asked the Lord and then answered, ‘Even as I am.’ To be ‘recommended to the Lord,’ we strive to be like Him.”
• “I remember hearing President Howard W. Hunter in his first general conference address as the 14th President of the Church. He said: ‘It is the deepest desire of my heart to have every member of the Church worthy to enter the temple. It would please the Lord if every adult member would be worthy of—and carry—a current temple recommend.’ I would add that a limited-use recommend will set a clear path for our precious youth.”
• “If you have yet to receive a recommend or if your recommend has lapsed, line up at the door of the bishop just as the early Saints lined up at the door of the Nauvoo Temple in 1846.”
• “Begin the process now to become ‘recommended to the Lord’ so that His Spirit will be with you in abundance and His standards will bring you ‘peace of conscience.'”
• “Let me emphasize, whether you have access to a temple or not, you need a current temple recommend to stay firmly on the covenant path.”
• “Being worthy to hold a current temple recommend is both a protection from the adversary, because you have made a firm commitment to the Lord about your life, and a promise that the Spirit will be with you.”
• “We do temple work when we search for our ancestors and submit their names for ordinances. While our temples have been closed, we have still been able to research our families. With the Spirit of God in our hearts, we are, by proxy, standing in for them to be ‘recommended to the Lord.'”
• “When I was serving as the Executive Director of the Temple Department, I heard President Gordon B. Hinckley refer to this scripture spoken by the Lord about the Nauvoo Temple: ‘Let the work of my temple, and all the works which I have appointed unto you, be continued on and not cease; and let your diligence, and your perseverance, and patience, and your works be redoubled, and you shall in nowise lose your reward, saith the Lord of Hosts.'”
• “Our work in the temple is tied to our eternal reward. Recently we have been put to the test. The Lord has called us to work in the temples with ‘diligence, … perseverance, and patience.’ Being ‘recommended to the Lord’ requires those qualities. We must be diligent in living the commandments, persevere in our attention to our temple covenants, and be grateful for what the Lord continues to teach about them and be patient as we wait for temples to reopen in their fulness.”
• “When the Lord calls for us to ‘redouble’ our efforts, He is asking that we increase in righteousness. For example, we may expand our study of the scriptures, our family history research, and our prayers of faith that we may share our love for the Lord’s house with those preparing to receive a temple recommend, our family members in particular.”
• “I promise you as an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ that as you strive to redouble your righteous efforts, you will feel renewed in your devotion to God the Father and Jesus Christ, you will feel an abundance of the Holy Ghost guiding you, you will be grateful for your sacred covenants, and you will feel peace knowing you are ‘recommended to the Lord.'”

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Dallin H. Oaks: Love Your Enemies

• “The Lord’s teachings are for eternity and for all of God’s children. In this message I will give some examples from the United States, but the principles I teach are applicable everywhere.”
• “In a democratic government we will always have differences over proposed candidates and policies. However, as followers of Christ we must forgo the anger and hatred with which political choices are debated or denounced in many settings.”
• “‘Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you’ (Matthew 5:43–44). …that is still what our Savior commands. In the Book of Mormon we read, ‘For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another’ (3 Nephi 11:29).”
• “Loving our enemies and our adversaries is not easy. ‘Most of us have not reached that stage of … love and forgiveness,’ President Gordon B. Hinckley observed, adding, ‘It requires a self-discipline almost greater than we are capable of.’ But it must be essential, for it is part of the Savior’s two great commandments to ‘love the Lord thy God’ and to ‘love thy neighbour as thyself’ (Matthew 22:37, 39). And it must be possible, for He also taught, ‘Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find’ (Matthew 7:7).”
• “So, we are to follow the laws of men (render unto Caesar) to live peacefully under civil authority, and we follow the laws of God toward our eternal destination.”
• “Anger is the way to division and enmity. We move toward loving our adversaries when we avoid anger and hostility toward those with whom we disagree. It also helps if we are even willing to learn from them.”
• “When we are trying to understand and relate to people of a different culture, we should try getting to know them. In countless circumstances, strangers’ suspicion or even hostility give way to friendship or even love when personal contacts produce understanding and mutual respect.”
• “An even greater help in learning to love our adversaries and our enemies is to seek to understand the power of love. Here are three of many prophetic teachings about this. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that ‘it is a time-honored adage that love begets love. Let us pour forth love—show forth our kindness unto all mankind.'”
• “President Howard W. Hunter taught: ‘The world in which we live would benefit greatly if men and women everywhere would exercise the pure love of Christ, which is kind, meek, and lowly. It is without envy or pride. … It seeks nothing in return. … It has no place for bigotry, hatred, or violence. … It encourages diverse people to live together in Christian love regardless of religious belief, race, nationality, financial standing, education, or culture.'”
• “President Russell M. Nelson has urged us to ‘expand our circle of love to embrace the whole human family.'”
• “An essential part of loving our enemies is to render unto Caesar by keeping the laws of our various countries.”
• “‘Let no man break the laws of the land, for he that keepeth the laws of God hath no need to break the laws of the land. Wherefore, be subject to the powers that be’ (Doctrine and Covenants 58:21–22).”
• “‘We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law’ (Articles of Faith 1:12). This does not mean that we agree with all that is done with the force of law. It means that we obey the current law and use peaceful means to change it. It also means that we peacefully accept the results of elections. We will not participate in the violence threatened by those disappointed with the outcome. In a democratic society we always have the opportunity and the duty to persist peacefully until the next election.”
• “…the United States Constitution guarantees the ‘right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.’ That is the authorized way to raise public awareness and to focus on injustices in the content or administration of the laws.”
• “As citizens and as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we must do better to help root out racism.”
• “…the protests protected by the Constitution are peaceful protests. Protesters have no right to destroy, deface, or steal property or to undermine the government’s legitimate police powers. The Constitution and laws contain no invitation to revolution or anarchy.”
• “All of us—police, protesters, supporters, and spectators—should understand the limits of our rights and the importance of our duties to stay within the boundaries of existing law.”
• “Redress of grievances by mobs is redress by illegal means. That is anarchy, a condition that has no effective governance and no formal police, which undermines rather than protects individual rights.”
• “This country should be better in eliminating racism not only against Black Americans, who were most visible in the recent protests, but also against Latinos, Asians, and other groups. This nation’s history of racism is not a happy one, and we must do better.”
• [Quoting “two Yale University scholars”] “‘We have to remain united by and through the Constitution, regardless of our ideological disagreements.'”
• “Many years ago, a British foreign secretary gave this great counsel in a debate in the House of Commons: ‘We have no eternal allies and we have no perpetual enemies. Our interests are eternal and perpetual, and these interests it is our duty to follow.’ … the doctrine of the Lord’s Church teaches us another eternal interest to guide us: the teachings of our Savior, who inspired the Constitution of the United States and the basic laws of many of our countries. Loyalty to established law instead of temporary ‘allies’ is the best way to love our adversaries and our enemies as we seek unity in diversity.”
• “Knowing that we are all children of God gives us a divine vision of the worth of all others and the will and ability to rise above prejudice and racism. As I have lived for many years in different places in this nation, the Lord has taught me that it is possible to obey and seek to improve our nation’s laws and also to love our adversaries and our enemies. While not easy, it is possible with the help of our Lord, Jesus Christ. He gave this command to love, and He promises His help as we seek to obey it.”

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D. Todd Christofferson: Sustainable Societies

• “The societies in these two examples were sustained by the blessings of heaven growing out of their exemplary devotion to the two great commandments: ‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind’ and ‘Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.’ They were obedient to God in their personal lives, and they looked after one another’s physical and spiritual welfare. In the words of the Doctrine and Covenants, these were societies with ‘every man seeking the interest of his neighbor, and doing all things with an eye single to the glory of God.'”
• “Sustainability is not guaranteed, and a thriving society can fail in time if it abandons the cardinal virtues that uphold its peace and prosperity. In this case, yielding to the temptations of the devil, the people ‘began to be divided into classes; and they began to build up churches unto themselves to get gain, and began to deny the true church of Christ.'”
• “I think it safe to say that when people turn from a sense of accountability to God and begin to trust instead in the ‘arm of flesh,’ disaster lurks. …Meanwhile, those in sustainable societies are seeking, as King Benjamin said, to ‘grow in the knowledge of the glory of him that created [them], or in the knowledge of that which is just and true.'”
• “The institutions of family and religion have been crucial for endowing both individuals and communities with the virtues that sustain an enduring society. These virtues, rooted in scripture, include integrity, responsibility and accountability, compassion, marriage and fidelity in marriage, respect for others and the property of others, service, and the necessity and dignity of work, among others.”
• “…when secularization separates personal and civic virtue from a sense of accountability to God, it cuts the plant from its roots. Reliance on culture and tradition alone will not be sufficient to sustain virtue in society. When one has no higher god than himself and seeks no greater good than satisfying his own appetites and preferences, the effects will be manifest in due course.”
• “…our joyous message to our children and to all humanity is that ‘the truth of God’ points a better way, or as Paul said, ‘a more excellent way,’ a way to personal happiness and community well-being now and to everlasting peace and joy hereafter.”
• “There is much we can do as neighbors and fellow citizens to contribute to the sustainability and success of the societies we live in, and surely our most fundamental and enduring service will be to teach and live by the truths inherent in God’s great plan of redemption. As expressed in the words of the hymn: ‘Faith of our fathers, we will love / Both friend and foe in all our strife, / And preach thee, too, as love knows how, / By kindly words and virtuous life.'”
• “If enough of us and enough of our neighbors strive to make our decisions and guide our lives by the truth of God, the moral virtues needed in every society will abound.”
• “‘Behold, doth he cry unto any, saying: Depart from me? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; but he saith: Come unto me all ye ends of the earth, buy milk and honey, without money and without price.’ This we declare ‘in solemnity of heart, in the spirit of meekness’…”

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Steven J. Lund: Finding Joy in Christ

• [After telling story of a young deacon who chose to pass the sacrament despite physical challenges] “I wonder at the unspoken miracle that had impelled him that morning to respond so bravely to that still, small call to serve, and about the strength and capacities of all of our emergent youth as they push themselves to respond to a prophet’s call to enlist in God’s battalions and join in the work of salvation and exaltation.”
• “When the Savior said to His Apostles, ‘This do in remembrance of me,’ He was also speaking through the ages to each of us. He was speaking of the unending miracle that He would provide as future deacons, teachers, and priests would present His emblems and invite His children to accept His atoning gift.”
• “Elder David A. Bednar has taught that to grow and become as missionaries are, we should do what missionaries do, and then, ‘line upon line and precept upon precept, … [we] can gradually become the missionary … the Savior expects.’ Likewise, if we desire ‘to be like Jesus,’ we should do what Jesus does, and in one astonishing sentence, the Lord explains what it is that He does: He said, ‘For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.'”
• “The Savior’s mission has always and forever been to serve His Father by saving His children. And the surest way to find joy in this life is to join Christ in helping others.”
• “And so the urgent call from God’s battalions in fateful training is for ‘all hands on deck!’ Moms and dads, your sons need you to support them now as passionately as ever you have in the past when they have been about lesser things like badges and pins.”
• “Mothers and fathers, priesthood and Young Women leaders, if your youth are struggling, Children and Youth will help bring them to the Savior, and the Savior will bring them peace.”
• “Quorum and class presidencies, step up and take your rightful place in the Lord’s work.”
• “Bishops, link your keys with those of quorum presidents, and your quorums—and your wards—will forever change.”
• “As you rise to the majesty of your stations, with all of your hearts, might, mind, and strength, you will come to love God and keep your covenants and trust in His priesthood as you work to bless others, beginning in your own homes.”
• “I pray that you will strive, with redoubled energy worthy of this time, to serve, exercise faith, repent, and improve each day, to qualify to receive temple blessings and the enduring joy that comes only through the gospel of Jesus Christ. I pray that you will prepare to become that diligent missionary, loyal husband or wife, loving father or mother that you have been promised you may ultimately become by being a true disciple of Jesus Christ. May you help prepare the world for the Savior’s return by inviting all to come unto Christ and receive the blessings of His Atonement.”

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Gerrit W. Gong: All Nations, Kindreds, and Tongues

• “Faithfully met challenges and sacrifice do bring the blessings of heaven. In this mortality, we may lose or wait for some things for a time, but in the end we will find what matters most. That is His promise.”
• “As ‘fellowcitizens with the saints,’ we are invited to change the world for the better, from the inside out, one person, one family, one neighborhood at a time. This happens when we live and share the gospel. Early in this dispensation, the Prophet Joseph received a remarkable prophecy that Heavenly Father desires everyone everywhere to discover God’s love and experience His power to grow and change.”
• “As we hearken to the Lord’s spirit of prophecy, we can become, in our own way, part of the fulfillment of His prophecies and promises—part of the gospel blessing the world.”
• [Said in context of sharing the gospel around the world] “By small and simple means—in which we are each invited to participate—great things are brought to pass.”
• “Brothers and sisters, as we increase our faith in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, receive the blessings found in living restored gospel truths and sacred covenants, and study, ponder, and share about the ongoing Restoration, we participate in fulfilling prophecy.”
• “Heavenly Father invites us everywhere to feel His love, to learn and grow through education, honorable work, self-reliant service, and patterns of goodness and happiness we find in His restored Church. As we come to trust God, sometimes through pleading in our darkest, loneliest, most uncertain moments, we learn He knows us better and loves us more than we know or love ourselves. This is why we need God’s help to create lasting justice, equality, fairness, and peace in our homes and communities. Our truest, deepest, most authentic narrative, place, and belonging come when we feel God’s redeeming love, seek grace and miracles through His Son’s Atonement, and establish lasting relationships by sacred covenants. Religious goodness and wisdom are needed in today’s cluttered, noisy, polluted world.”
• “As we discover God, sometimes unexpected answers to prayers take us from the street, bring us to community, chase darkness from our souls, and guide us to find spiritual refuge and belonging in the goodness of His covenants and abiding love.”
• “May we joyfully accept God’s invitation to receive and help fulfill His promised and prophesied blessings in all nations, kindreds, and tongues….”

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W. Christopher Waddell: There Was Bread

• “From the beginning of time, the Lord has provided direction to help His people prepare spiritually and temporally against the calamities and trials that He knows will come as part of this mortal experience. These calamities may be personal or general in nature, but the Lord’s guidance will provide protection and support to the extent that we heed and act upon His counsel.”
• “In today’s environment, with a pandemic that has devastated whole economies as well as individual lives, it would be inconsistent with a compassionate Savior to ignore the reality that many are struggling and ask them to begin building a reserve of food and money for the future. However, that does not mean that we should permanently ignore principles of preparation—only that these principles should be applied ‘in wisdom and order’ so that in the future we might say, as did Joseph in Egypt, ‘There was bread.’ The Lord does not expect us to do more than we can do, but He does expect us to do what we can do, when we can do it. As President Nelson reminded us in our last general conference, ‘The Lord loves effort.'”
• “Church leaders have often encouraged Latter-day Saints ‘to prepare for adversity in life by having a basic supply of food and water and some money in savings.’ At the same time, we are encouraged to ‘be wise’ and ‘not go to extremes’ in our efforts to establish a home storage supply and a financial reserve.”
• [Quoting from Personal Finances for Self-Reliance] “‘We invite you to diligently study and apply these principles and teach them to your family members. As you do so, your life will be blessed … [because] you are a child of our Father in Heaven. He loves you and will never forsake you. He knows you and is ready to extend to you the spiritual and temporal blessings of self-reliance.’ This resource includes chapters devoted to creating and living within a budget, protecting your family against hardship, managing a financial crisis, investing for the future, and many more and is available for everyone on the Church website or through your local leaders.”
• “It was not enough to know that challenging times would come. They had to act, and because of their effort, ‘there was bread.'”
• “Being temporally prepared and self-reliant means ‘believing that through the grace, or enabling power, of Jesus Christ and our own effort, we are able to obtain all the spiritual and temporal necessities of life we require for ourselves and our families.’ Additional aspects of a spiritual foundation for temporal preparedness include acting ‘in wisdom and order,’ which implies a gradual buildup of food storage and savings over time, as well as embracing ‘small and simple’ means, which is a demonstration of faith that the Lord will magnify our small but consistent efforts.
• “Key principles to manage your finances include the payment of tithes and offerings, eliminating and avoiding debt, preparing and living within a budget, and saving for the future. Key home storage principles include the storage of food, the storage of water, and the storage of other necessities based on individual and family needs, all because ‘the best storehouse’ is the home, which becomes the ‘most accessible reserve in times of need.'”
• “As we embrace spiritual principles and seek inspiration from the Lord, we will be guided to know the Lord’s will for us, individually and as families, and how best to apply the important principles of temporal preparedness. The most important step of all is to begin.”
• “As we seek to become temporally prepared, we can face the trials of life with increased confidence, peace in our hearts, and like Joseph in Egypt, we will be able to say, even in stressful circumstances, ‘There was bread.'”

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Matthew S. Holland: The Exquisite Gift of the Son

• “We must never forget that the very purpose of repentance is to take certain misery and transform it into pure bliss. Thanks to His immediate goodness, the instant we come unto Christ—demonstrating faith in Him and a true change of heart—the crushing weight of our sins starts to shift from our backs to His.”
• “From direct, personal experience the Savior thus warns us, in modern scripture, that we have no idea how ‘exquisite’ our ‘sufferings’ will be if we do not repent. But with unfathomable generosity He also clarifies that ‘I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent’….”
• “But know this: there is One who understands perfectly what you are experiencing, who is ‘mightier than all the earth,’ and who is ‘able to do exceeding abundantly above all that [you] ask or think.’ The process will unfold in His way and on His schedule, but Christ stands ready always to heal every ounce and aspect of your agony. As you allow Him to do so, you will discover that your suffering was not in vain.”
• “…guard against the satanic whispering that if you were a better person, you would avoid [difficult] trials.”
• “You must also resist the related lie that your sufferings somehow suggest you stand outside the circle of God’s chosen ones, who seem to glide from one blessed state to another. Instead, see yourself as John the Revelator surely saw you in his majestic revelation of the latter days. For John saw ‘a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, [who] stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, … [who] cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God.'”
• “That you might taste this happiness now and be filled with it forever, I invite you to do what Alma did: let your mind catch hold on the exquisite gift of the Son of God as revealed through His gospel in this, His true and living Church.”

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William K. Jackson: The Culture of Christ

• “An overfixation on one’s cultural identity may lead to the rejection of worthwhile—even godly—ideas, attributes, and behavior.”
• “…virtually all conflict and chaos would quickly fade if the world would only accept its original culture, the one we all possessed not so very long ago. This culture dates back to our premortal existence. It was the culture of Adam and Enoch. It was the culture founded on the Savior’s teachings in the meridian of time, and it is available to all women and men once again in our day.”
• “This culture espouses the concept of equal worth. There is not recognition of caste or class … There is no prejudice or ‘us versus them’ mentality in the greatest of all cultures … Charity, true Christlike caring, is the bedrock of our culture. We feel real concern for the needs of our fellowman, temporal and spiritual, and act on those feelings … It is a culture of learning and study … It is a culture of faith and obedience … It is a culture of prayer … It is a culture of missionary work.”
• “In the culture of Christ, women are elevated to their proper and eternal status. They are not subservient to men, as in many cultures in today’s world, but full and equal partners here and in the world to come.”
• “To be part of this, the greatest of all cultures, will require change. The prophets have taught that it is necessary to leave behind anything in our old cultures that is inconsistent with the culture of Christ. But that doesn’t mean we have to leave behind everything. The prophets have also emphasized that we are invited, one and all, to bring our faith and talents and knowledge—all that is good in our lives and our individual cultures—with us and let the Church ‘add to it’ through the message of the gospel.”
• “We can, indeed, all cherish the best of our individual earthly cultures and still be full participants in the oldest culture of them all—the original, the ultimate, the eternal culture that comes from the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

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Dieter F. Uchtdorf: God Will Do Something Unimaginable

• “As a fighter pilot and airline captain, I learned that while I could not choose the adversity I would encounter during a flight, I could choose how I prepared and how I reacted. What is needed during times of crisis is calm and clear-headed trust. How do we do this? We face the facts and return to the fundamentals, to the basic gospel principles, to what matters most. You strengthen your private religious behavior—like prayer and scripture study and keeping God’s commandments. You make the decisions based on best proven practices.”
• “Focus on the things you can do and not on the things you cannot do. You muster your faith. And you listen for the guiding word of the Lord and His prophet to lead you to safety. Remember, this is the Church of Jesus Christ—He is at the helm.”
• “Think of the many inspired advancements that happened in the past decade alone. To mention just a few:

  • “The sacrament was reemphasized as center of our Sabbath worship.

  • “Come, Follow Me was provided as a home-centered, Church-supported tool to strengthen individuals and families.

  • “We began a higher and holier way of ministering to all.

  • “The use of technology in sharing the gospel and doing the Lord’s work has spread throughout the Church.”

• “This is the Lord’s work. He invites us to find His ways of doing it, and they may differ from our past experiences.”
• “As an Apostle of the Lord, I invite and bless you to ‘cheerfully do all things that lie in [your] power; and then may [you] stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed.’ And I promise that the Lord will cause unimaginable things to come from your righteous labors.”

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Sharon Eubank: By Union of Feeling We Obtain Power with God

• “On June 9, the Prophet ‘said he was going to preach mercy[.] Supposing that Jesus Christ and [the] angels should object to us on frivolous things, what would become of us? We must be merciful and overlook small things.’ President Smith continued, ‘It grieves me that there is no fuller fellowship—if one member suffer all feel it—by union of feeling we obtain pow’r with God.'”
• “That small sentence struck me like lightning. By union of feeling we obtain power with God.“
• “Jacob 2:17 reads, ‘Think of your [brothers and sisters] like unto yourselves, and be familiar with all and free with your substance, that they may be rich like unto you.’ Let’s replace the word substance with mercy—be free with your mercy that they may be rich like unto you.”
• “My own Relief Society president recently said: ‘The thing I … promise … you is that I will keep your name safe. … I will see you for who you are at your best. … I will never say anything about you that is unkind, that is not going to lift you. I ask you to do the same for me because I am terrified, frankly, of letting you down.'”
• [Quoting Joseph Smith] “‘… The nearer we get to our heavenly Father, the more are we dispos’d to look with compassion on perishing souls—[we feel that we want] to take them upon our shoulders and cast their sins behind our back. [My talk is intended for] all this Society—if you would have God have mercy on you, have mercy on one another.’

  This was counsel specifically to the Relief Society. Let’s not judge each other or let our words bite. Let’s keep each other’s names safe and give the gift of mercy.”

• “Unity doesn’t magically happen; it takes work. It’s messy, sometimes uncomfortable, and happens gradually when we clear away the bad as fast as the good can grow. We are never alone in our efforts to create unity. Jacob 5 continues, ‘The servants did go and labor with their mights; and the Lord of the vineyard labored also with them.’ Each of us is going to have deeply wounding experiences, things that should never happen. Each of us will also, at various times, allow pride and loftiness to corrupt the fruit we bear. But Jesus Christ is our Savior in all things. His power reaches to the very bottom and is reliably there for us when we call on Him. We all beg for mercy for our sins and failures. He freely gives it. And He asks us if we can give that same mercy and understanding to each other.”
• “Jesus put it bluntly: ‘Be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine.’ But if we are one—if we can spare a piece of our pie or fit our individual talents so the boat can swing in perfect unison—then we are His. And He will help clear away the bad as fast as the good does grow.”
• “I believe the change we seek in ourselves and in the groups we belong to will come less by activism and more by actively trying every day to understand one another.”
• “We have power to remove prejudice and build unity. Relief Society and Young Women are not simply classes. They can also be unforgettable experiences where very different women all get into the same boat and row until we find our swing.“
• “I offer this invitation: be part of a collective force that changes the world for good. Our covenantal assignment is to minister, to lift up the hands that hang down, to put struggling people on our backs or in our arms and carry them. It isn’t complicated to know what to do, but it often goes against our selfish interests, and we have to try. The women of this Church have unlimited potential to change society. I have full spiritual confidence that, as we seek union of feeling, we will call down the power of God to make our efforts whole.”
• “When the Church commemorated the 1978 revelation on priesthood, President Russell M. Nelson extended a powerful prophetic blessing: ‘It is my prayer and blessing that I leave upon all who are listening that we may overcome any burdens of prejudice and walk uprightly with God—and with one another—in perfect peace and harmony.’ May we draw on this prophetic blessing and use our individual and collective efforts to increase unity in the world.”

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Becky Craven: Keep the Change

• “As we show our gratitude to Him by diligently living His commandments, He immediately blesses us, leaving us always in His debt.”
• “He gives us much, much more than the value of what we can ever return to Him. So, what can we give to Him, who paid the incalculable price for our sins? We can give Him change. We can give Him our change. It may be a change of thought, a change in habit, or a change in the direction we are headed.”
• “In return for His priceless payment for each of us, the Lord asks us for a change of heart. The change He requests from us is not for His benefit but for ours. So, unlike the purchaser at the market who would take back the change we offer, our gracious Savior beckons us to keep the change.“
• “The scriptures do not say that they immediately became perfect; rather, their desire to change compelled them to action. Their change of heart meant putting off the natural man or woman and yielding to the Spirit as they strove to become more like Jesus Christ.”
• “President Henry B. Eyring teaches: ‘True conversion depends on seeking freely in faith, with great effort and some pain. Then it is the Lord who can grant … the miracle of cleansing and change.’ Combining our effort with the Savior’s ability to change us, we become new creatures.”
• “Jesus Christ has given us a continuous pattern for change. He invites us to exercise faith in Him, which inspires us to repent—“which faith and repentance bringeth a change of heart.” As we repent and turn our hearts to Him, we gain a greater desire to make and live sacred covenants. We endure to the end by continuing to apply these principles throughout our lives and inviting the Lord to change us. Enduring to the end means changing to the end.”
• “There is an inspired phrase in the Young Women theme that states, ‘I cherish the gift of repentance and seek to improve each day.’ I pray that we do cherish this beautiful gift and that we are intentional in seeking change. Sometimes the changes we need to make are associated with serious sin. But most often, we strive to refine our character to align ourselves with the attributes of Jesus Christ. Our daily choices will either help or hinder our progress. Small but steady, deliberate changes will help us improve. Do not become discouraged. Change is a lifelong process.”
• “Through Jesus Christ, we are given the strength to make lasting changes. As we humbly turn to Him, He will increase our capacity to change.”
• “In addition to the transforming power of our Savior’s Atonement, the Holy Ghost will support and guide us as we put forth our effort. He can even help us know what changes we need to make. We can also find help and encouragement through priesthood blessings, prayer, fasting, and attending the temple. Likewise, trusted family members, leaders, and friends can be helpful in our efforts to change.”
• “In the shade of gospel branches, we enjoy many blessings associated with our covenants. Some may have fallen from the safety of their covenants and need our help climbing back into the security of gospel branches. It can be difficult for them to come back on their own. Can we gently tug a little here and hoist up a little there to help them heal while they enjoy our friendship?”
• “If you are suffering an injury from a [spiritual] fall, please allow others to help you return to your covenants and the blessings they offer. The Savior can help you heal and change while surrounded by those who love you.”
• “As we travel the covenant path, sometimes we pick up stones in our shoes in the form of poor habits, sins, or bad attitudes. The quicker we shake them from our lives, the more joyful our mortal journey will be.”
• “I testify that because of Jesus Christ, we can change. We can adjust our habits, alter our thoughts, and refine our character to become more like Him. And with His help, we can keep the change.“

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Cristina B. Franco: The Healing Power of Jesus Christ

• “Sisters and brothers, aren’t we all like this piano, a little broken, cracked, and damaged, feeling like we will never be the same again? However, as we come unto Jesus Christ by exercising faith in Him, repenting, and making and keeping covenants, our brokenness—whatever its cause—can be healed. This process, which invites the Savior’s healing power into our lives, does not just restore us to what we were before but makes us better than we ever were.”
• “President Russell M. Nelson taught: ‘When sore trials come upon us, it’s time to deepen our faith in God, to work hard, and to serve others. Then He will heal our broken hearts. He will bestow upon us personal peace and comfort. Those great gifts will not be destroyed, even by death.'”
• “Jesus said: ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28–30).”
• “To heal brokenness by coming unto Him, we need to have faith in Jesus Christ. ‘Having faith in Jesus Christ means relying completely on Him—trusting in His infinite power … and love. It includes believing His teachings. It means believing that even though we do not understand all things, He does. Because He has experienced all our pains, afflictions, and infirmities, He knows how to help us rise above our daily difficulties.'”
• “As we come unto Him, ‘we can be filled with joy, peace, and consolation. All that is [hard and challenging] about life can be made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.’ He has counseled us, ‘Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not’ (Doctrine and Covenants 6:36).”
• “I testify that Jesus Christ is our loving Savior, our Redeemer, the Master Healer, and our faithful friend. If we turn to Him, He will heal us and make us whole again.”

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Henry B. Eyring: Sisters in Zion

• “As the beloved daughters of Heavenly Father, and as the daughters of the Lord Jesus Christ in His kingdom, you will play a crucial part in the grand times ahead.”
• “You sisters, your daughters, your granddaughters, and the women you have nurtured will be at the heart of creating that society of people who will join in glorious association with the Savior. You will be an essential force in the gathering of Israel and in the creation of a Zion people who will dwell in peace in the New Jerusalem.”
• “In the early days of the Relief Society, the Prophet Joseph Smith said to the sisters, ‘If you live up to your privileges, the angels cannot be restrained from being your associates.‘”
• “If the past is prologue, at the time of the Savior’s coming, the daughters who are deeply committed to their covenants with God will be more than half of those who are prepared to welcome Him when He comes. But whatever the numbers, your contribution in creating unity among the people prepared for that Zion will be far greater than half.”
• “My experience has taught me that Heavenly Father’s daughters have a gift to allay contention and to promote righteousness with their love of God and with the love of God they engender in those they serve.”
• “Sisters, you were given the blessing of being daughters of God with special gifts. You brought with you into mortal life a spiritual capacity to nurture others and to lift them higher toward the love and purity that will qualify them to live together in a Zion society.”
• “You are daughters of a loving Heavenly Father, who sent you into the world with unique gifts that you promised to use to bless others.”

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Dallin H. Oaks: Be of Good Cheer

• “The Lord has special love and concern for His precious daughters. He knows of your wants, your needs, and your fears. The Lord is all powerful. Trust Him.”
• “The Lord stands near us, and He has said: ‘What I say unto one I say unto all, be of good cheer, little children; for I am in your midst, and I have not forsaken you’ (Doctrine and Covenants 61:36). ‘For after much tribulation come the blessings’ (Doctrine and Covenants 58:4). Sisters, I testify that these promises, given in the midst of persecutions and personal tragedies, apply to each of you in your troubling circumstances today. They are precious and remind each of us to be of good cheer and to have joy in the fulness of the gospel as we press forward through the challenges of mortality.”
• “…we have God’s assurance that, in the long view of eternity, opposition will not be allowed to overcome us. With His help and our faithfulness and endurance, we will prevail.”
• “Yet, in the midst of [current trials], we have that heavenly counsel to be of good cheer and to find joy in the principles and promises of the gospel and the fruits of our labors. That counsel has always been so, for prophets and for all of us.”
• “In the midst of hardships, the divine assurance is always ‘be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours’ (Doctrine and Covenants 78:18). How does this happen? How did it happen for the pioneers? How will it happen to women of God today? By our following prophetic guidance, ‘the gates of hell shall not prevail against [us],’ the Lord said by revelation in April 1830.”
• “‘Fear not, little flock; do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are built upon my rock, they cannot prevail’ (Doctrine and Covenants 6:34).”
• “With the Lord’s promises, we ‘lift up [our] heart[s] and rejoice’ (Doctrine and Covenants 25:13), and ‘with a glad heart and a cheerful countenance’ (Doctrine and Covenants 59:15), we go forward on the covenant path. Most of us do not face decisions of giant proportions, like leaving our homes to pioneer an unknown land. Our decisions are mostly in the daily routines of life, but as the Lord has told us, ‘Be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great’ (Doctrine and Covenants 64:33).”
• “There is boundless power in the doctrine of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Our unshakable faith in that doctrine guides our steps and gives us joy. It enlightens our minds and gives strength and confidence to our actions. This guidance and enlightenment and power are promised gifts we have received from our Heavenly Father. By understanding and conforming our lives to that doctrine, including the divine gift of repentance, we can be of good cheer as we keep ourselves on the path toward our eternal destiny—reunion and exaltation with our loving heavenly parents.”
• “‘You may be facing overwhelming challenges,’ Elder Richard G. Scott taught. ‘Sometimes they are so concentrated, so unrelenting, that you may feel they are beyond your capacity to control. Don’t face the world alone. “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding” [Proverbs 3:5]. … It was intended that life be a challenge, not so that you would fail, but that you might succeed through overcoming.'”
• “It is all part of the plan of God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, of which I testify, as I pray that we will all persist to our heavenly destination….”

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Russell M. Nelson: Embrace the Future with Faith

• “You are more than eight million strong. You have not only the numbers but the spiritual power to change the world.”
• “How are we to deal with both the somber prophecies and the glorious pronouncements about our day? The Lord told us how with simple, but stunning, reassurance: ‘If ye are prepared ye shall not fear.'”
• “For decades, the Lord’s prophets have urged us to store food, water, and financial reserves for a time of need. The current pandemic has reinforced the wisdom of that counsel. I urge you to take steps to be temporally prepared. But I am even more concerned about your spiritual and emotional preparation.”
• “First, he helped them create areas where they would be safe—’places of security’ he called them. Second, he prepared ‘the minds of the people to be faithful unto the Lord.’ And third, he never stopped preparing his people—physically or spiritually. Let us consider these three principles.”
• “Similarly, as turmoil rages around us, we need to create places where we are safe, both physically and spiritually. When your home becomes a personal sanctuary of faith—where the Spirit resides—your home becomes the first line of defense. Likewise, the stakes of Zion are “a refuge from the storm” because they are led by those who hold priesthood keys and exercise priesthood authority. As you continue to follow the counsel of those whom the Lord has authorized to guide you, you will feel greater safety.”
• “Even this year, when access to our temples has been seriously limited, your endowment has given you constant access to God’s power as you have honored your covenants with Him.”
• “When the Holy Ghost is with you, you can teach truth, even when it runs counter to prevailing opinions. And you can ponder sincere questions about the gospel in an environment of revelation.”
• “I invite you, my dear sisters, to create a home that is a place of security. And I renew my invitation for you to increase your understanding of priesthood power and of temple covenants and blessings. Having places of security to which you can retreat will help you embrace the future with faith.”
• “The Lord taught us how to increase our faith by seeking ‘learning, even by study and also by faith.’ We strengthen our faith in Jesus Christ as we strive to keep His commandments and ‘always remember him.’ Further, our faith increases every time we exercise our faith in Him. That is what learning by faith means. For example, each time we have the faith to be obedient to God’s laws—even when popular opinions belittle us—or each time we resist entertainment or ideologies that celebrate covenant-breaking, we are exercising our faith, which in turn increases our faith. Further, few things build faith more than does regular immersion in the Book of Mormon.”
• “The Book of Mormon is our latter-day survival guide.”
• “Of course, our ultimate security comes as we yoke ourselves to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ! Life without God is a life filled with fear. Life with God is a life filled with peace. This is because spiritual blessings come to the faithful. Receiving personal revelation is one of the greatest of those blessings. The Lord has promised that if we will ask, we may receive ‘revelation upon revelation.’ I promise that as you increase your capacity to receive revelation, the Lord will bless you with increased direction for your life and with boundless gifts of the Spirit.”
• “The adversary never stops attacking. So, we can never stop preparing! The more self-reliant we are—temporally, emotionally, and spiritually—the more prepared we are to thwart Satan’s relentless assaults.”
• “Dear sisters, you are adept at creating places of security for yourselves and those you love. Further, you have a divine endowment that enables you to build faith in others in compelling ways. And you never stop. You have demonstrated that once again this year. Please, keep going! Your vigilance in safeguarding your homes and instilling faith in the hearts of your loved ones will reap rewards for generations to come.”
• “I am not saying that the days ahead will be easy, but I promise you that the future will be glorious for those who are prepared and who continue to prepare to be instruments in the Lord’s hands.”
• “My dear sisters, let us not just endure this current season. Let us embrace the future with faith! Turbulent times are opportunities for us to thrive spiritually. They are times when our influence can be much more penetrating than in calmer times. I promise that as we create places of security, prepare our minds to be faithful to God, and never stop preparing, God will bless us. He will ‘deliver us; yea, insomuch that he [will] speak peace to our souls, and [will] grant unto us great faith, and … cause us that we [can] hope for our deliverance in him.’ As you prepare to embrace the future with faith, these promises will be yours!”

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M. Russell Ballard: Watch Ye therefore, and Pray Always

•  “No matter how you pray or to whom you pray, please exercise your faith—whatever your faith may be—and pray for your country and for your national leaders.”
• “The Savior taught us to not limit who we pray for.”
• “The best way to help the current world situation is for all people to rely more fully upon God and to turn their hearts to Him through sincere prayer.”
• “I invite you to pray always. Pray for your family. Pray for the leaders of nations.”
• “Sincerely praying for those who may be considered our enemies demonstrates our belief that God can change our hearts and the hearts of others.”
• “After we kneel in prayer, we need to get up from our knees and do what we can to help—to help both ourselves and others.”
• “Prayer will lift us and draw us together as individuals, as families, as a Church, and as a world…Redouble your commitment to prayer.”

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Lisa L. Harkness: Peace, Be Still

• “It is in these rough stretches of our journey that our faith can be not only tried but fortified.”
• “Regardless of our circumstances, we can intentionally make efforts to build and increase our faith in Jesus Christ.”
• “Our faith increases as we choose to believe rather than doubt, forgive rather than judge, repent rather than rebel.”
• “Our faith is refined as we patiently rely on the merits and mercy and grace of the Holy Messiah.”
• “Waves of fear can distract us, causing us to forget God’s goodness, thus leaving our perspective short-sighted and out of focus.”
• “Our current challenging circumstances are not our final eternal destination.”
• “We have every reason to rejoice.”

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Ulisses Soares: Seek Christ in Every Thought

• “Seeking Christ in every thought and following Him with all our heart requires that we align our mind and desires with His.”
• “As we exercise our moral agency in righteousness, choosing to have wholesome thoughts and pure desires, we can become more aligned with Jesus Christ.”
• “Fighting against temptation takes a lifetime of diligence and faithfulness.”
• “Please know that the Lord is ready to assist us in our personal efforts and promises remarkable blessings if we endure to the end.”
• “Our mortal inclinations will not disappear on their own.”
• “As we rely upon the rock of Salvation, the Savior of our souls, and follow Moroni’s counsel, our ability to control our thoughts will increase.”
• “When we resist the little temptations, which often come unexpectedly in our life, we are better equipped to avoid serious transgressions.”

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Carlos A. Godoy: I Believe in Angels

• “Please, please, do not give up on your efforts to be part of this big family.”
• “It is always worth the effort to keep trying.”
• “I promise, He will send angels to help you.”
• “The angels that walk among us in our everyday lives are powerful reminders of God’s love for us.”
• “I hope and pray that we will recognize the importance of angels in our lives.”
• “Would you be willing to be an instrument in the Lord’s hands? Would you be willing to be one of these angels?”
• “I promise, that if we are willing to serve, the Lord will give us opportunities to be ministering angels.”

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Neil L. Andersen: We Talk of Christ

•  “While we endure a season of physically distancing ourselves from others, we need never endure a season of spiritually distancing ourselves from Him who continually, with outstretched arms, entreats us, ‘Come unto me.’”
• “With those around us, let us be more open, more willing to talk of Christ.”
• “Let us kindly witness our faith in Christ.”
• “Be more open on social media in talking about your trust in Christ.”
• “We care more about being His followers than being ‘liked’ by our own followers.”
• “I promise you that as we prepare ourselves as President Nelson did, we also will be different, thinking more about the Savior, speaking of Him more frequently and with less hesitation.”
• “As we come to know and love Him more deeply, our words will flow more comfortably, as they do when we speak of one of our children or of a dear friend.”
• “If the world is going to speak less of Him, who is going to speak more of Him? We are!”
• “In a world of work, worries, and worthy endeavors, we keep our heart, our mind, and our thoughts on Him who is our hope and salvation.”

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Russell M. Nelson: Let God Prevail

• “We all have our agency. We can choose to be of Israel, or not.”
• “We can choose to let God prevail in our lives, or not. We can choose to let God be the most powerful influence in our lives, or not.”
• “The Lord is gathering those who are willing to let God prevail in their lives.”
• “I assure you that your standing before God is not determined by the color of your skin.”
• “God does not love one race more than another.”
• “Favor or disfavor with God is dependent upon your devotion to God and His commandments, and not the color of your skin.”
• “I plead with you to promote respect for all of God’s children.”
• “Anytime we do anything that helps anyone—on either side of the veil—to make and keep their covenants with God, we are helping to gather Israel.”
• “Are you willing to let God prevail in your life? Are you willing to let God be the most important influence in your life?”
• “The Lord is gathering those who will choose to let God be the most important influence in their lives.”
• “When your greatest desire is to let God prevail, to be part of Israel, so many decisions become easier. So many issues become non-issues!”
• “The only way to survive spiritually is to be determined to let God prevail in our lives, to learn to hear His voice, and to use our energy to help gather Israel.”

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Henry B. Eyring: Tested, Proved, and Polished

• “One way He will succor you will be to invite you always to remember Him and to come unto Him.”
• “The way to come unto Him is to feast upon His words, to exercise faith unto repentance, to choose to be baptized and confirmed by His authorized servant, and then to keep your covenants.”
• “You and I accepted that invitation to be tested and to prove that we would choose to keep the commandments of God when we would no longer be in the presence of our Heavenly Father.”
• “Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ know and love you. They want you to return to Them and become like Them. Your success is Their success.”
• “As you live worthy of the gift of the Holy Ghost, the Lord can direct you to safety even when you cannot see the way.”
• “By our choosing to keep our covenants, the power of Jesus Christ and the blessings of His Atonement can work in us.”
• “The greatest blessing that will come when we prove ourselves faithful to our covenants during our trials will be a change in our natures.”
• “When you wonder how much pain you can endure well, remember Him. He suffered what you suffer so that He would know how to lift you up.”
• “As you live worthy of the gift of the Holy Ghost, the Lord can direct you to safety even when you cannot see the way.”
• “When we lift another’s burden, even a little, that our backs are strengthened and we sense a light in the darkness.”

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Jeremy R. Jaggi: Let Patience Have Her Perfect Work, and Count It All Joy

• “When you wonder how much pain you can endure well, remember Him. He suffered what you suffer so that He would know how to lift you up.”
• “Count it all joy.”
• “Our Heavenly Father may be allowing us time to reflect and consider our understanding of patience and our conscious decision to choose joy.”
• “Of all the zealous social, religious, and political endeavors of our day, let disciple of Jesus Christ be our most pronounced and affirming affiliation.”
• “Even in the most trying circumstance, we knew that our Heavenly Father was mindful of us and helping us find joy.”
• “I witness that when we pray to our Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus, He will answer us.”

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Gary E. Stevenson: Highly Favored of the Lord

• “Even as the world begins to normalize and we return to chapels, we will want to retain our home-centered patterns of gospel study and learning developed during the pandemic.”
• “I believe that in this life, and in the life to come, your afflictions, your Ammonihah, your Liberty Jail, will be consecrated for your gain.”
• “I pray that, along with Nephi, we can acknowledge the afflictions in the course of our days while at the same time recognizing that we are highly favored of the Lord.”

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Milton Camargo: Ask, Seek, and Knock

• “An important part of Heavenly Father’s plan is the opportunity to communicate with Him anytime we want.”
• “But as we open our hearts in prayer, we will feel the comfort that comes from our Father in Heaven and the assurance that He loves and values us.”
• “It takes time and patience to learn to understand the voice of the Lord.”
• “We seek because we trust the Lord’s promises.”
• “When we seek, we are humbly acknowledging that we still have much to learn, and the Lord will expand our understanding, preparing us to receive more.”
• “We learn that prayer requires spiritual labor, and it does not always lead to the outcome we hope for.”
• “When we actively follow Him, the Lord opens the way before us.”
• “When we feel discouraged or weighed down with sorrow, the Lord gives us comfort and strength in different ways.”
• “If we then speedily align our plan with His plan, He will open the way for us, as He did for Alma.”
• “We have direct access to our own revelation so the Lord can comfort and guide us personally.”

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Dale G. Renlund: Do Justly, Love Mercy, and Walk Humbly with God

• “As followers of Jesus Christ, and as Latter-day Saints, we strive—and are encouraged to strive—to do better and to be better.”
• “Without the blessings that come from Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, we can never do enough or be enough by ourselves.”
• “Loving mercy means that we do not just love the mercy God extends to us, we delight that God extends the same mercy to others.”
• “He taught the joy of keeping God’s commandments and sought to lift rather than condemn those who struggled.”
• “To be Christlike, a person does justly, behaving honorably with both God and other people.”
• “A just person is civil in words and action and recognizes that differences in outlook or belief do not preclude genuine kindness and friendship.”
• “To be Christlike, a person chooses God, walks humbly with Him, seeks to please Him, and keeps covenants with Him.”
• “Individuals who walk humbly with God remember what Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have done for them.”
• “We assimilate the attributes of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ into our character and we love one another.”
• “Your souls will be infused with the glory of God and with the light of everlasting life.”

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Kelly R. Johnson: Enduring Power

• “Understanding what we must do to access God’s power in our lives is not easy, but I have found it is doable by studying it out in our minds and praying for the Holy Ghost to enlighten us.”
• “Filling our heart and even our soul with the word of God and the foundation of faith in Jesus Christ is crucial to drawing upon the power of God to help us in these challenging times.”
• “Only faith and the word of God that fill our inner soul are sufficient to sustain us—and to allow us to access His power.”
• “Likewise, those who have faith and the word of God deep in their hearts will be able to absorb and overcome the fiery darts, which the adversary will surely send to destroy us.”
• “As we follow the Savior’s example and prepare through studying the word of God and deepening our faith, we also can draw upon the power of God to resist temptations.”
• “I invite you to seek the power God wants to give you.”

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Jeffrey R. Holland: Waiting on the Lord

• “We are not the first nor will we be the last to ask such questions when sorrows bear down on us or an ache in our heart goes on and on.”
• “There will be times in our lives when even our best spiritual effort and earnest, pleading prayers do not yield the victories for which we have yearned.”
• “So while we work and wait together for the answers to some of our prayers, I offer you my apostolic promise that they are heard and they are answered.”
• “My beloved brothers and sisters, Christianity is comforting but often it is not comfortable.”
• “The point? The point is that faith means trusting God in good times and bad, even if that includes some suffering until we see His arm revealed in our behalf.”
• “The path to holiness and happiness here and hereafter is a long and sometimes rocky one.”
• “COVID and cancer, doubt and dismay, financial trouble and family trials. When will these burdens be lifted? The answer is ‘by and by.’”
• “By the grace of God, the blessings will come to those who hold fast to the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
• “Sooner or later we learn that the times and seasons of our mortal journey are His and His alone to direct.”

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Russell M. Nelson: A New Normal

• “This is the dispensation when no spiritual blessing will be withheld from the righteous.
• “Let us not spin our wheels in the memories of yesterday. The gathering of Israel moves forward.”
• “The challenge for you and me is to make certain that each of us will achieve his or her divine potential.”
• “If you really want to embrace “a new normal,” I invite you to turn your heart, mind, and soul increasingly to our Heavenly Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ.”
• “Now, my dear brothers and sisters, I bless you to be filled with the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ. His peace is beyond all mortal understanding.”
• “I bless you with an increased desire and ability to obey the laws of God.”
• “May we go forward together to fulfill our divine mandate—that of preparing ourselves and the world for the Second Coming of the Lord.”

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