Feature Stories

A promise or invitation from each April 2021 general conference talk

60763.jpg

All the messages from the April 2021 general conference are available on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

To help you carry the messages from our Church leaders with you, here is one invitation or promise given by each of the speakers during general conference. We hope they will help you receive the inspiration you need to draw closer to Jesus Christ.

Saturday Morning 

Welcome Message” | President Russell M. Nelson 

As we listen to the messages that have been carefully prepared by our leaders under the direction of the Holy Ghost, I invite you to pray to identify the debris you should remove from your life so you can become more worthy. 

God among Us” | Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf 

As we seek to follow Jesus Christ and walk the path of discipleship, line upon line, the day will come that we will experience that unimaginable gift of receiving a fulness of joy. 

Essential Conversations” | President Joy D. Jones 

May our simple yet essential conversations with our children help them to “enjoy the words of eternal life” now so that they may enjoy “eternal life in the world to come, even immortal glory.”

As we nurture and prepare our children, we allow for their agency, we love them with all our heart, we teach them God’s commandments and His gift of repentance, and we never, ever, give up on them. After all, isn’t this the Lord’s way with each of us?

Teaching in the Savior’s Way” | Brother Jan E. Newman 

I invite leaders and teachers in every organization of the Church to counsel together with parents and youth in order to dramatically improve teaching at every level—in stakes, in wards, and in homes. This will be achieved by teaching the doctrine and inviting Spirit-filled discussion about the truths the Holy Ghost has taught us in the quiet moments of our personal study.

Hearts Knit Together” | Elder Gary E. Stevenson 

Now, for young men and young women, as you grow older, making fun of others can evolve very dangerously. Anxiety, depression, and worse are often the companions of bullying. “While bullying is not a new concept, social media and technology have brought bullying to a new level. It becomes a more constant, ever-present threat—cyberbullying.”

Clearly, the adversary is using this to hurt your generation. There is no place for this in your cyberspace, neighborhoods, schools, quorums, or classes. Please do all you can to make these places kinder and safer. If you passively observe or participate in any of this, I know of no better advice than that previously given by Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf: 

“When it comes to hating, gossiping, ignoring, ridiculing, holding grudges, or want to cause harm, please apply the following: 

“Stop it!” 

Did you hear that? Stop it! As you extend yourself with kindness, care, and compassion, even digitally, I promise that you will lift up arms that hang down and will heal hearts. 

Room in the Inn” | Elder Gerrit W. Gong 

In this Easter season, Jesus Christ invites us to become, like Him, a good Samaritan, to make His Inn (His Church) a refuge for all from life’s bruises and storms. We prepare for His promised Second Coming as each day we do unto the “least of these” as we would unto Him. “The least of these” is each of us. 

I Love to See the Temple” | President Henry B. Eyring 

We don’t know the details of family connections in the spirit world or what may come after we are resurrected. But we do know that the prophet Elijah came as promised to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the children to the fathers. And we know that our eternal happiness depends on our doing our best to offer the same lasting happiness to as many of our kindred as we can. 

I feel the same desire to succeed in inviting living family members to desire to become worthy to receive and to honor the sealing ordinances of the temple. That is part of the promised gathering of Israel in the last days on both sides of the veil. 

Saturday Afternoon 

Not as the World Giveth” | Elder Jeffrey R. Holland 

To any who are tempted to walk or talk or behave in these ways— “as the world giveth,” so to speak—don’t expect it to lead to peaceful experience; I promise you in the name of the Lord that it won’t. “Wickedness never was happiness,” an ancient prophet once said. 

Poor Little Ones” | Elder Jorge T. Becerra 

I bear witness of Him, even Jesus Christ, the Master Minister and Savior of us all. I invite each of us seek out the “pobrecitos,” the “poor little ones” among us who are in need. This my hope and prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. 

Infuriating Unfairness” | Elder Dale G. Renlund 

Do not let unfairness harden you or corrode your faith in God. Instead, ask God for help. Increase your appreciation for and reliance on the Savior. Rather than becoming bitter, let Him help you become better. 

The Personal Journey of a Child of God” | Elder Neil L. Andersen 

As the Lord’s servant, I promise you that as you are faithful to Jesus Christ and your covenants, you will receive compensating blessings in this life and your righteous desires in the eternal time line of the Lord. There can be happiness in the journey of mortality even when all of our righteous hopes are not realized. 

Ye Shall Be Free” | Elder Thierry K. Mutombo 

Jesus Christ is the light that we should hold up even during the dark times of our mortal life (see 3 Nephi 18:24). When we choose to follow Christ, we choose to be changed. A man or woman changed for Christ will be captained by Christ, and we will be asking, as Paul did, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” (Acts 9:6). We will “follow his steps” (1 Peter 2:21). We will “walk, even as he walked” (1 John 2:6).

Hope in Christ” | President M. Russell Ballard 

Never forget that you are a child of God, our Eternal Father, now and forever. He loves you, and the Church wants and needs you. Yes, we need you! We need your voices, talents, skills, goodness, and righteousness,

Bishops—Shepherds over the Lord’s Flock” | Elder Quentin L. Cook 

We are aware that you have trials and temptations coming at you from every direction. We all need to repent daily, as President Nelson has taught. Please talk to your bishop about any matter in which a common judge can assist you in getting your life in order with the Lord in preparation for the “great work” He has for you in this final dispensation. As President Nelson has invited you, please qualify yourself to be part of the Lord’s youth battalion!

You Can Gather Israel!” | Brother Ahmad S. Corbitt 

My friends, intentionally envisioning or viewing things that conflict with who you really are, especially pornography, will weaken your faith in Christ and, without repentance, could destroy it. Please use your imaginations to increase faith in Christ, not ruin it.

This Is Our Time!” | Elder S. Gifford Nielsen 

On this beautiful Easter weekend, may I extend an invitation that we all pray to recognize and embrace our individual roles as we prepare for the glorious day when the Savior comes again. The Lord loves us more than we can comprehend, and He will answer our prayers! Whether we are on a football field, in a hospital room, or in any other place, we can be an important part of these remarkable events—because this is our time! 

Bless in His Name" | President Henry B. Eyring 

You may feel small compared to the great sweep of what the Lord will do. If you do, I invite you to ask prayerfully how the Lord sees you. He knows you personally, He conferred the priesthood upon you, and your rising up and magnifying the priesthood matter to Him because He loves you and He trusts you to bless people He loves in His name.

What Has Our Savior Done for Us?” | President Dallin H. Oaks 

Jesus Christ did all of this because He loves all of the children of God. Love is the motivation for it all, and it was so from the very beginning. God has told us in modern revelation that “he created … male and female, after his own image … ; and gave unto them commandments that they should love and serve him” (Doctrine and Covenants 20:18–19).

I testify of all of this and pray that we all will remember what our Savior has done for each of us and that we all will love and serve Him.

“What We Are Learning and Will Never Forget” | President Russell M. Nelson 

Think back on the past two years. How have you grown? What have you learned? You might initially wish you could go back to 2019 and stay there! But if you look at your life prayerfully, I believe you will see many ways in which the Lord has been guiding you through this time of hardship, helping you to become a more devoted, more converted man—a true man of God.

Sunday Morning 

Jesus Christ: The Caregiver of Our Soul” | Elder Ulisses Soares 

I assure you that as we put our trust in Jesus Christ and in His supernal atoning sacrifice, enduring in our faith to the end, we will enjoy the promises of our beloved Heavenly Father, who does everything within His power to help us return to His presence one day. This is His work and His glory! I testify to you that Jesus is the Christ, the Redeemer of the world, the promised Messiah, the Resurrection and the Life.

The Grave Has No Victory” | Sister Reyna I. Aburto 

I testify that through the redeeming Atonement and glorious Resurrection of Jesus Christ, broken hearts can be healed, anguish can become peace, and distress can become hope. He can embrace us in His arms of mercy, comforting, empowering, and healing each of us.

Our Sorrow Shall Be Turned into Joy” | Elder S. Mark Palmer

I invite all who feel sorrow, all who wrestle with doubt, all who wonder what happens after we die, to place your faith in Christ. I promise that if you desire to believe, then act in faith, and follow the whisperings of the Spirit, you will find joy in this life and in the world to come. 

Pressing Toward the Mark” | Elder Edward Dube 

My humble invitation to all of us is to never give up! We are called to “lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.” 

Remember Your Way Back Home” | Elder José A. Teixeira 

I invite you to experience the joy of remembering that we are children of God and that He so loved the world that He has sent His Son to show us the path. I invite you to remember to be faithful, to turn your life to the Savior and build your foundation on Him. Remember to be prayerful in your journey and serve others along the way. 

God Loves His Children” | Elder Taniela B. Wakolo 

When we recognize the chastening and are willing recipients, it becomes a spiritual surgery. Who likes surgery, by the way? But to those who need it and are willing to receive it, it can be lifesaving. The Lord chastens whom He loves. The scriptures tell us so (see Hebrews 12:5–11; Helaman 12:3; Doctrine and Covenants 1:27; 95:1). That chastening, or spiritual surgery, will bring about needed change in our lives. We will realize, brothers and sisters, that it refines and purifies our inner vessels.

They Cannot Prevail, We Cannot Fall” | Elder Chi Hong (Sam) Wong

That is the promise from God! If we build our foundation on Jesus Christ, we cannot fall! As we endure faithfully to the end, God will help us establish our lives upon His rock, “and the gates of hell shall not prevail against [us]” (Doctrine and Covenants 10:69). 

Our Personal Savior” | Elder Michael John U. Teh

On this Easter Sunday, just as the Savior came forth from His stone grave, may we awake from our spiritual slumber and rise above the clouds of doubt, the clutches of fear, the intoxication of pride, and the lull of complacency. Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father live. I testify of Their perfect love for us.

Christ Is Risen; Faith in Him Will Move Mountains” | President Russell M. Nelson

My dear brothers and sisters, my call to you this Easter morning is to start today to increase your faith. Through your faith, Jesus Christ will increase your ability to move the mountains in your life, even though your personal challenges may loom as large as Mount Everest.

Sunday Afternoon 

Defending Our Divinely Inspired Constitution” | President Dallin H. Oaks 

We should learn and advocate the inspired principles of the Constitution. We should seek out and support wise and good persons who will support those principles in their public actions. We should be knowledgeable citizens who are active in making our influence felt in civic affairs.

Behold! I Am a God of Miracles’” | Elder Ronald A. Rasband 

On this Easter Sunday, as we celebrate the miracle of our Lord’s Resurrection, as an Apostle of Jesus Christ I humbly pray that you will feel the power of the Redeemer in your life, that your appeals to our Heavenly Father will be answered with the love and commitment Jesus Christ demonstrated throughout His ministry. I pray that you may stand steadfast and faithful in all that is to come.

Light Cleaveth Unto Light” | Elder Timothy J. Dyches 

Seasons of our lives can take us to places both unexpected and undesirable. If sin has led you there, pull back the curtain of darkness and begin now to humbly approach your Heavenly Father with a broken heart and a contrite spirit and repent. He will hear your earnest prayer. With courage today, “draw near unto [Him] and [He] will draw near unto you.” You are never beyond the healing power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

Why the Covenant Path” | Elder D. Todd Christofferson 

Let us heed the prophet’s call to stay on the covenant path. Nephi saw us and our time and recorded, “I, Nephi, beheld the power of the Lamb of God, that it descended upon the saints of the church of the Lamb, and upon the covenant people of the Lord, who were scattered upon all the face of the earth; and they were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory.”

The Gospel Light of Truth and Love” | Elder Alan R. Walker 

Brothers and sisters, may we be willing and decide today to engage ourselves and our families in hearing heaven’s voice, even the voice of our Savior. May we make and keep covenants with God, which will secure us firmly in the path that leads back to His presence, and may we rejoice in the blessings of the glorious light and truth of His gospel.

The Principles of My Gospel” | Elder David A. Bednar 

With all the energy of my soul, I invite all of us to learn, live, and love principles of righteousness. Only gospel truths can enable us to “cheerfully do all things that lie in our power” to press forward on the covenant path and to “see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed.” 

COVID-19 and Temples” | President Russell M. Nelson

Do all you can to bring COVID numbers down in your area so that your temple opportunities can increase.

Meanwhile, keep your temple covenants and blessings foremost in your minds and hearts. Stay true to the covenants you have made.    

You may also like: Here's how you can preorder your own general conference wide-margin journal edition 

Lead image: Intellectual Reserve.
Share
Stay in the loop!
Enter your email to receive updates on our LDS Living content