I am humbled but grateful for the opportunity to be with you today. My wife, Rebekah, and our five young children are my best friends and noblest examples, and I express my love and appreciation to them.
You are entering what Elder Robert D. Hales called your “most influential decade ever: the Decade of Decision(s). In this decade you will lay the foundation for the rest of your life, including decisions about whether to enter the Lord’s house and make sacred covenants; whether to serve Him as a full-time missionary; whom to marry, when to marry, and the nature of the family you will raise; what gifts and talents to cultivate; where and what kind of education to obtain; and what occupation to prepare for and pursue.” [1]
Ten short years ago, Rebekah and I were seated right where you are (figuratively, not literally, because the I-Center wasn’t completed). We had been married 18 months, had no children, and were unsure what the future held for our family. Today we can testify of what we worked to believe back then—that our only hope of cobbling together a future was in submitting ourselves to the Lord and seeking guidance through the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things that we should do. [2]
The adversary works to deceive and distract, diverting your focus from the covenant path. To survive spiritually, you will need counterstrategies and proactive plans to fortify yourself and your family. [3] I testify that small course corrections now will make large, even destinational differences for you in the coming decade, [4] and the choices you make (or fail to make) today will directly influence the opportunities you will have in the future. [5] This is where it is impossible for a devotional talk to minister to you one by one as Jesus did. [6] It is my hope and prayer that you will heed the quiet whisperings of the Spirit as He speaks truth to your mind and heart as to what those small course corrections might be for you. [7]
Having just resurfaced from the decade now facing you, today I will highlight three observations that seem especially pressing for our generation in the decade ahead—traps of the adversary designed to derail your progress during these critical years.
Observation #1: The tree of life grows from tiny seeds of belief [8]
President Ezra Taft Benson taught, “Every [person] eventually is backed up to the wall of faith, and there he must make his stand.” [9] Having questions and experiencing doubt are not incongruent with dedicated discipleship, [10] but the adversary does not want you to believe that! He peddles comfortless blankets of cynicism and skepticism, [11] working to convince you that your faith, testimony, and membership in the Church are all or nothing propositions—you either know and you’re in, or you don’t know and you’re out. In the adversary’s quest for shared misery, [12] he wants you to succumb to the fallacy that there can be no allowance for faith or belief [13] in such a sophisticated information age; that having questions or experiencing doubt are the hopeless beginnings of the end. But hope need not be lost, and together with faith and charity, you can stand still [14] when troubling moments come and issues surface, especially when the resolution of such is not immediately apparent to you. [15]
When you are riddled with questions, experience a painful loss, or stumble through periods of perplexity, uncertainty, and doubt, you should remember this counsel from the epistle of James: “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.” [16]
As you “ask in faith,” you appreciate the differences between what it means to believe, to have faith, and to know. That word know is powerful and beautiful, but it can be disorienting if that is the only word you can accept when describing your testimony. Remember, faith “is not to have a perfect knowledge of things,” so if there are days when it feels like all you can do is “desire to believe,” then “let [that] desire work in you.” [17] I love the story Elder Jeffrey R. Holland shared of the young man that said, a little hesitantly, “Brother Holland, I can’t say yet that I know the Church is true, but I believe it is.” Elder Holland said he “hugged that boy until his eyes bulged out” and told him “with all the fervor of [his] soul that belief is a precious word, an even more precious act” and that he “need never apologize for ‘only believing.’” [18]
As you “ask in faith,” you patiently remember that God’s “concern is for the faith at which you finally arrive, not the hour of the day in which you got there.” [19] I echo Brother Brian K. Ashton’s encouragement from devotional last week, to not lose heart when it feels like you have to put in additional effort compared to your peers to learn things that seem to come naturally to them. [20] Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf recently taught, “Some seem to be born with a testimony of the gospel and a sensitivity to spiritual things. For others, belief comes slowly, and the process may feel difficult or frustrating. . . . But whether the gift of faith comes early or late, all of us must seek and nurture that gift.” [21]
Finally, as you “ask in faith,” you will not demand instant answers to life’s most meaningful questions, because you know that patience and diligence are required when seeking things of true and lasting value. [22] For example, consider this critical question—is Jesus Christ the Son of God? A Google search returns 192,000,000 results in less than a half second! My apologies if you are hearing this for the first time, but not everything you read on the internet is true! And what good is information miles wide but an inch deep? President Dallin H. Oaks cautioned that in this age of endless information, you must begin with focus or you may become like those described by Paul—“ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” [23] Having more information at your fingertips will make no difference unless you can make wise and inspired use of that information. You must be prayerful and intentional when selecting sources and evaluating information, and you should see yourself as a lifelong seeker, eager to search, ponder, and pray.
And when someone you love comes to you in a time of spiritual need, what can you do that their “faith might increase”? [24] You can respond with charity! You can guard against the tendency of using your own personal experience as the ultimate measuring stick of belief and belonging. [25] You can remember that perhaps more important than speaking is listening—to really, truly listen. When you listen with love, you won’t need to wonder what to say—it will be given to you by the Spirit. [26] You can work to make your ward, your apartment, and your family a more welcoming place for those who struggle. In your quest to teach one another, [27] work to create a “comfort those that stand in need of comfort” [28] type of community that so many in our generation feel disconnected from—a place where they feel comfortable working through their questions in the company of friends, rather than feeling excluded by them!
I testify that as you ask in faith and respond with charity, hope will never be lost, regardless of the size, shape, and frequency of your questions or struggle in life. Don’t ever lose sight of what your tiny seeds of belief can grow into, because all things are possible to those who believe! [29]
Observation #2: In the coming days, it will not be possible for you to survive spiritually without the constant influence of the Holy Ghost [30]
But Satan has no interest in you surviving spiritually and works tirelessly to overwhelm that delicate channel of heavenly communication. When you have the Holy Ghost with you, Satan knows he won’t be very successful in getting you to commit many great sins of commission. [31] So, his more subtle effort is to deceive you into believing that there is no lasting harm in the little sins, pacified and lulled away into carnal security because you aren’t entangled in the worst the world has to offer. [32]
President Henry B. Eyring warned, “The enemy of righteousness . . . works in little steps—steps so small that they are hard to notice. . . . One of the effects of disobeying God seems to be the creation of just enough spiritual anesthetic to block any sensation as the ties to God are being cut.” [33]
One of your most immediate ties to God is the Holy Ghost, who “witnesses of the Father and the Son”. [34] The Holy Ghost communicates in ways that are quiet, delicate, and subtle, but you live in a world that bombards you with a steady stream of things that are loud, irreverent, and harsh. In your effort to become more like Jesus, you “should seek diligently to recognize and respond to promptings as they come to you.” [35] But you should also work to “discern when [you] withdraw [yourself] from the Spirit of the Lord”—and eliminate any “choices and influences that separate [you] from the Holy Spirit.” [36]
Consider this counsel from Elder David A. Bednar:
The standard is clear. If something [you] think, see, hear, or do distances [you] from the Holy Ghost, then [you] should stop thinking, seeing, hearing, or doing that thing. If that which is intended to entertain, for example, alienates [you] from the Holy Spirit, then certainly that type of entertainment is not for [you]. Because the Spirit cannot abide that which is vulgar, crude, or immodest, then clearly such things are not for [you]. [37]
The constant companionship of the Holy Ghost requires a seriousness of purpose [38] in all your choices, so that virtue can garnish your thoughts unceasingly. [39]
Have you ever caught yourself saying something like “it was a great movie, except for a couple of words and one scene”; or found yourself so invested in a series, sequel, or the next installment of something that you rationalize away content that is pro-entertainment but anti-Holy Ghost? I echo Elder Holland’s invitation to “exercise more control over even the marginal moments that confront you,” [40] and “marginal” is an apt descriptor for much of what the media has to offer! If you are not careful, you will find yourself mindlessly entertained by content that will neutralize you spiritually and disrupt the spiritual balance required to stay on the covenant path.
In preparation for today, I was drawn to the primary song “If the Savior Stood Beside Me,” which many of you grew up singing. Do you remember the powerful questions from the opening verse?
If the Savior stood beside me, would I do the things I do?
Would I think of His commandments and try harder to be true?
Would I follow His example?
Would I live more righteously,
If I could see the Savior standing nigh, watching over me? [41]
As I pondered those questions, the Spirit impressed these words upon me, which I offer today for your prayerful consideration:
If the Savior sat beside me, would I view the things I view?
Would I text and snap and swipe and post and like the things I do?
Can I hear the Spirit whisper through my headphones or TV?
Would I be anxious if the Savior scrolled through my phone’s history?
As I participated in the discussion board for devotional this week, I was struck by how many of us are rethinking the amount of time we spend connected to our devices. Consider what you forfeit if being hyperconnected to your device from the moment you wake is disconnecting you from God!
In my office at work and at home hangs this painting by Simon Dewey. The title, “To Be With God”, is borrowed from the Joseph Smith translation of Matthew 4, where Jesus is “led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be with God.” [42] I believe that Jesus never lost sight of His single-minded devotion to the will of the Father because Jesus never let the demands of the day crowd out the time He spent alone with His Father. [43] This picture serves as a daily reminder to me of the importance of finding solitary places where I, too, can be with God and feel the Spirit in my life. If your life is devoid of quiet time and solitary places where you can be with God, I invite you to create some.
The Holy Ghost can provide guidance and direction, warn of danger and distraction, and help you accomplish things you could not do on your own. [44] I testify that you cannot survive spiritually, in this coming decade or any decade to follow, without the Holy Ghost, and I invite you to make whatever changes are necessary that you might “always have [that] Spirit to be with [you].” [45]
Observation #3: No one can be valiant for you
Elder Bednar taught that “The Lord has on earth some potential spiritual giants whom He has saved . . . to help bear off the Kingdom triumphantly, and the devil is trying to put them to sleep.” [46] In the Book of Mormon, Helaman’s two thousand stripling soldiers are described as being “exceedingly valiant for courage, and also for strength and activity.” [47] This wasn’t the group being hounded by their roommates, their parents, their spouse, or their bishop to be “up and doing” [48] in the cause of Christ. [49] This wasn’t the group that stayed home from FHE because the FHE brothers were weird, that slept through testimony meeting or skipped Sunday school because they were bored, or that treated their status as a stripling soldier like a country club membership.
No, the concern of this group was covenant, not convenience, [50] and they understood that their covenant relationship with God required them to love and serve others. They exhibited their willingness to bear others’ burdens and comfort those in need of comfort in remarkable ways. [51] This was not about them, and their concern was never “what’s in it for us?” We’re talking about a group of young people, like you, who were anxiously engaged in good causes, doing many things of their own free will, and bringing to pass much righteousness because the power was in them—and that power is in you! [52]
The Lord still needs valiant servants, but no one can be valiant for you! Satan is satisfied if you are honorable but not valiant in your testimony of Jesus, [53] one of the distinguishing characteristics of those who fail to qualify for the Celestial Kingdom. [54] What it will take for you to remain valiant in your own testimony of Jesus—filled with courage and determination—is one of the great battles of life fought every day. It will not be the major events or decisions in the coming decade that will make the difference; rather, it will be the small and simple decisions you make each day that map the course of your future. [55] Satan works to discourage you, trusting that in the grind, you will lose hope and quit trying, but don’t give up! With faith in God and His perfect Son, you can believe in good things to come and remain valiant!
Those motivated by great and powerful convictions of truth [56] are ready for the demands of discipleship—the often self-directed heavy lifting required of those reserved for and willing to build up God’s kingdom in righteous ways. [57] Ours must be a generation who will do what we have covenanted to do, willing to quietly, patiently, and consistently go to work—for as long as it takes—until the “Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.” [58] As Elder Neal A. Maxwell reminded us, “the perks of [this] discipleship are such that if we see a stretch limousine pulling up, we know it is not calling for us.” [59]
In that spirit, I extend a special plea to returned missionaries, whether you measure your return from service by transfers or years. Sisters and elders, I remind you that the blessings of missionary service were not designed to end when you were released. [60] The rules for happiness and success after your mission are much like they were during your mission: pray hard, work hard, and be obedient. [61] I call on you to look the part, to be the part, and to remain the part of a disciple of Jesus Christ. Think of the lives you will bless as you remain His committed disciple, with a daily focus on ministering to others, instead of focusing exclusively on school, work, or your social life. [62] If President Nelson stood at the next General Conference and asked for 100,000 returned missionaries to return to full-time service (and I wouldn’t put anything past President Nelson at this point), would you be ready and worthy to go? If your commitment is lacking, or your valiance has waned, I invite you to make the changes necessary to be more like Jesus, and I bear witness of His power to heal and help along the way.
The Holy Ghost will guide you through this challenging season in your life. It is my hope that you will recognize and heed His promptings for you, because remaining valiant in your testimony of Jesus during this critical decade depends upon it.
Testimony
As I consider the hustle and bustle of these busy years, I appreciate the wisdom from William Longstaff’s beautiful devotional hymn: “Take time to be holy, the world rushes on; spend much time in secret, with Jesus alone. By looking to Jesus, like Him thou shalt be; thy friends in thy conduct His likeness shall see.” [63]
My dear friends, I express my confidence in your capacity to make inspired decisions that will lay the foundation for the rest of your life! You can avoid the distracting snares of the adversary, regardless of how quick and cunning they are. [64] I acknowledge that this decade of decisions will likely be lean and long, and can test your faith, fortitude, and determination in unique and challenging ways. But when I was seated where you are, I underestimated how much happiness, peace, and grace are available to us through the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. God watches over your life and has great plans for your future. Jesus Christ can strengthen and enable you to reach your highest highs and to be able to cope with your lowest lows. [65] As you continue to pattern your life after Him, this decade can be filled with faith, spiritual guidance, and valiant service in His cause. May you enjoy the happiness and peace found on His covenant path, is my prayer, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
[1] Robert D. Hales, Return: Four Phases of Our Mortal Journey Home, (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2010), 160; emphasis added.
[2] See 1 Nephi 4:6.
[3] See Russell M. Nelson, “Opening Remarks,” Ensign, Nov. 2018.
[4] See Neal A. Maxwell, “Swallowed Up in the Will of the Father,” Ensign, Nov. 1995.
[5] See Robert D. Hales, “Fulfilling our Duty to God,” Ensign, Nov. 2001.
[6] See 3 Nephi 11:15.
[7] See Doctrine and Covenants 8:2.
[8] See Jeffrey R. Holland, “Lord, I Believe,” Ensign, May 2013.
[9] Ezra Taft Benson, “The Book of Mormon is the Word of God,” Ensign, May 1975.
[10] See M. Russell Ballard, “Stay in the Boat and Hold On,” Ensign, Nov. 2014.
[11] See Steve Densley Jr., Never Before Seen Letter on Doubt by Hugh B. Brown, Nov. 8, 1946; https://thirdhour.org/blog/top-articles/never-seen-letter-doubt-hugh-b-brown/.
[12] See 2 Nephi 2:18, 27.
[13] See Alma 32:26-28.
[14] See Doctrine and Covenants 123:17.
[15] See Jeffrey R. Holland, “Lord, I Believe,” Ensign, May 2013.
[16] James 1:5-6; emphasis added.
[17] Alma 32:21, 26-27; emphasis added.
[18] Jeffrey R. Holland, “Lord, I Believe,” Ensign, May 2013.
[19] Jeffrey R. Holland, “The Laborers in the Vineyard,” Ensign, May 2012.
[20] See Brian K. Ashton, “Learning is a Spiritual Endeavor,” BYU-Idaho devotional, Feb. 12, 2019.
[21] Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Can You Hear the Music?,” BYU devotional, Jan. 15, 2019.
[22] Ibid.
[23] Dallin H. Oaks, “Focus and Priorities,” Ensign, May 2001.
[24] Doctrine and Covenants 1:21.
[25] See Patrick Q. Mason, Planted: Belief and Belonging in an Age of Doubt (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 2015), 39.
[26] See Jeffrey R. Holland, “Witnesses Unto Me,” Ensign, May 2001.
[27] See Doctrine and Covenants 88:118.
[28] Mosiah 18:9.
[29] See Mark 9:23.
[30] See Russell M. Nelson, “Revelation for the Church, Revelation for our Lives,” Ensign, May 2018.
[31] See David A. Bednar, “On the Lord’s Side: Lessons from Zion’s Camp,” Ensign, July 2017.
[32] See 2 Nephi 28:21.
[33] Henry B. Eyring, “A Life Founded in Light and Truth,” BYU devotional, Aug. 15, 2000.
[34] See 2 Nephi 31:18.
[35] David A. Bednar, “That We May Always Have His Spirit to Be with Us,” Ensign, May 2006.
[36] Ibid.
[37] David A. Bednar, “That We May Always Have His Spirit to Be with Us,” General Conference, April 2006
[38] See Quentin L. Cook, “Choose Wisely,” Ensign, Nov. 2014.
[39] See Doctrine and Covenants 121:45-46.
[40] See Jeffrey R. Holland, “Place No More for the Enemy of My Soul,” Ensign, May 2010.
[41] Sally DeFord, “If the Savior Stood Beside Me,” © 1991.
[42] JST Matthew 4:1; emphasis added.
[43] See Mark 1:35; see also Matthew 14:23; Luke 4:42; 5:16; 6:12.
[44] See Russell M. Nelson, “Revelation for the Church, Revelation for our Lives,” Ensign, May 2018.
[45] Doctrine and Covenants 20:77.
[46] David A. Bednar, “On the Lord’s Side: Lessons from Zion’s Camp,” Ensign, July 2017.
[47] Alma 53:20.
[48] Alma 60:24.
[49] See Jeffrey R. Holland, “Standing Together for the Cause of Christ,” Ensign, Aug. 2012.
[50] See M. Russell Ballard, “Like a Flame Unquenchable,” Ensign, May 1999.
[51] See Mosiah 18:8-10.
[52] See Doctrine and Covenants 58:26-29.
[53] See Doctrine and Covenants 76:75, 79.
[54] Speaking of those who are “honorable” but not “valiant”, Elder Neal A. Maxwell taught, “These honorable individuals are certainly not miserable nor wicked, nor are they unrighteous and unhappy. It is not what they have done but what they have left undone that is amiss.” See Neal A. Maxwell, “Swallowed Up in the Will of the Father,” General Conference, October 1995.
[55] See Alma 37:6.
[56] President Gordon B. Hinckley taught, “When a man is motivated by great and powerful convictions of truth, then he disciplines himself, not because of demands made upon him by the Church but because of the knowledge within his heart.” See “The True Strength of the Church,” General Conference, April 1973.
[57] See Janice Kapp Perry, “We’ll Bring the World His Truth,” Children’s Songbook, 172.
[58] Joseph Smith, History of the Church, 4:540; from a letter from Joseph Smith written at the request of John Wentworth and George Barstow, Nauvoo, Illinois, published in Times and Seasons, Mar. 1, 1842, p. 709.
[59] Neal A. Maxwell, “The Tugs and Pulls of the World,” Ensign, Nov. 2000.
[60] See W. Christopher Waddell, “The Opportunity of a Lifetime,” Ensign, Nov. 2011.
[61] M. Russell Ballard, “The Greatest Generation of Missionaries,” Ensign, Nov. 2002.
[62] See M. Russell Ballard, “The Greatest Generation of Young Adults,” Ensign, May 2015.
[63] William D. Longstaff, Take Time To Be Holy (1882); hymnary.org/text/take_time_to_be_holy .
[64] See Helaman 3:29.
[65] See Russell M. Nelson, “Why have faith now? LDS President Russell M. Nelson explains during Phoenix-area visit”; azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/2019/02/10/viewpoints-lds-leader-urges-spirituality-secular-world-visits-phoenix-area/2776270002.