Derek Fay, managing director of Student Activities and Spirit Events at Brigham Young University-Idaho, taught students about their transformation as disciples of Jesus Christ in a devotional address given Tuesday, June 17.

"You are at a time in your lives that many of you might also describe as wonderful," Fay said. "You have felt transformations within yourselves that have brought excitement, energy and optimism. You feel the desire to develop talents and skills that will help you confidently go forth and find happiness, success and goodness in your lives."

Fay spoke of the process of conversion, encouraging students to seek deeper conversion through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

"I suggest we can measure our conversion not by what we know, believe or even do sometimes, but by how closely our thoughts, feelings and desires compare to those of the Savior," Fay said. "This can be sobering when we realize that while we may have strong testimonies and consistently fulfill our church and family responsibilities, we may have work to do in aligning our motivations, desires and feelings."

Fay also stressed the importance of learning to heed to the promptings of the Spirit.

"Learning to yield to spiritual reflexes will help us in our journey to become a new creature," Fay said. "As with anything that is practiced, the more we do this, the more we will find our spiritual reflexes becoming stronger than our natural tendencies."

Fay shared a quote from Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who declared that a mighty change will come from trusting in the Lord, not ourselves.

"This mighty change is not simply the result of working harder or developing greater individual discipline," Elder Bednar said. "Rather, it is the consequence of a fundamental change in our desires, our motives, and our natures made possible through the Atonement of Christ the Lord. Our spiritual purpose is to overcome both sin and the desire to sin, both the taint and the tyranny of sin."

Referring to conversion, Fay said, "Only such a process could allow the Atonement to transform our spirits and bodies into an acceptable state for entry into Heavenly Father's presence. Becoming a new creature takes time and it takes effort but it can ultimately only happen through the Atonement." 

Next week's devotional speaker will be Elder J. Kent Jolley, a former member of the Second Quorum of the Seventy. Devotionals are held every Tuesday at 2 p.m. in the Hart Auditorium with additional seating in the Taylor Chapel during Summer Semester. Devotionals are broadcast on KBYI-FM 100.5 at 2 p.m. and rebroadcast Tuesday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 5 p.m.