Agency

#1
Finally, remember our agency is not only for us. We have the responsibility to use it in behalf of others, to lift and strengthen others in their trials and tribulations. Some of our brothers and sisters have lost the full use of their agency through unrighteous choices. Without exposing ourselves to temptation, we can and should invite others to receive the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Through friendship and love, we may lead them along the path of obedience and encourage them to use their agency to make the right choices once again. - http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2006/04/to-act-for-ourselves-the-gift-and-blessings-of-agency?lang=eng – Robert D Hales – April 2006

#2

Humbly I lay claim upon the atonement of Christ. I find no shame in kneeling down in worship of our Father and His son. For agency is mine, and this I choose to do! - Boyd K Packer April 1988 General Conference

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1988/04/atonement-agency-accountability?lang=eng

#3

As we understand the challenge of repenting, we appreciate the blessings of the Holy Ghost to guide our agency and Heavenly Father, who gives us commandments and strengthens and sustains us in keeping them. We also understand how obedience to the commandments ultimately protects our agency.

#4

Our agency—our ability to choose and act for ourselves—was an essential element of this plan. Without agency we would be unable to make right choices and progress. Yet with agency we could make wrong choices, commit sin, and lose the opportunity to be with Heavenly Father again. For this reason a Savior would be provided to suffer for our sins and redeem us if we would repent. By His infinite Atonement, He brought about “the plan of mercy, to appease the demands of justice.” - Robert D Hales April 2010 General Conference

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2010/10/agency-essential-to-the-plan-of-life?lang=eng

Atonement

#1
The cost of the Atonement was borne by the Lord without compulsion, for agency is a sovereign principle. According to the plan, agency must be honored. It was so from the beginning, from Eden. - http://www.lds.org/general-conference/1988/04/atonement-agency-accountability?lang=eng Boyd k Packer April 1988 General Conference

#2

The Atonement of Jesus Christ was an indispensable part of our Heavenly Father’s plan for His Son’s earthly mission and for our salvation. How grateful we should be that our Heavenly Father did not intercede but rather withheld His fatherly instinct to rescue His Beloved Son. Because of His eternal love for you and for me, He allowed Jesus to complete His foreordained mission to become our Redeemer. The gift of resurrection and immortality is given freely through the loving grace of Jesus Christ to all people of all ages, regardless of their good or evil acts. And to those who choose to love the Lord and who show their love and faith in Him by keeping His commandments and qualifying for the full blessings of the Atonement, He offers the additional promise of exaltation and eternal life, which is the blessing of living in the presence of God and His Beloved Son forever. - http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2004/04/the-atonement-and-the-value-of-one-soul?lang=eng M. Russell Ballard April 2004 General Conference

#3

Understanding what we can of the Atonement and the Resurrection of Christ helps us to obtain a knowledge of Him and of His mission. 6 Any increase in our understanding of His atoning sacrifice draws us closer to Him. Literally, the Atonement means to be “at one” with Him. The nature of the Atonement and its effects is so infinite, so unfathomable, and so profound that it lies beyond the knowledge and comprehension of mortal man. I am profoundly grateful for the principle of saving grace. Many people think they need only confess that Jesus is the Christ and then they are saved by grace alone. We cannot be saved by grace alone, “for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.” 7
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2001/10/the-atonement-our-greatest-hope?lang=eng

James E Faust October 2001 General Conference

#4

And that is not all. The words atone, atonement, atoneth, appear in the Doctrine and Covenants eleven times and in the Pearl of Great Price three. Sixty-nine references of transcendent importance. And that is not all! Hundreds of other verses help to explain it.

The cost of the Atonement was borne by the Lord without compulsion, for agency is a sovereign principle. According to the plan, agency must be honored. It was so from the beginning, from Eden.

Boyd K. Packer - April 1988 General Conference

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1988/04/atonement-agency-accountability?lang=eng

Daily Prayer

#1

Daily prayers can help us keep on the path that leads to eternal life. In Proverbs we read: “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” (Prov. 3:6.) Daily prayer in private and as families will help us stay close to our Heavenly Father and help us know what is of most value to us and to him. We are very unlikely to stray if we offer a humble, simple prayer at least each morning and evening to express thanks and to seek divine guidance.

Joseph B Wirthlin – October 1990 General Conference

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1990/10/the-straight-and-narrow-way?lang=eng

#2

As parents, it is clearly our duty to teach our children to pray, and regular family prayers establish patterns that literally bless future generations. As Elder Dallin H. Oaks admonished us to do in his great talk in the morning session, it is well to use the sacred pronouns of the scriptures, Thee, Thou, Thy, and Thine, when addressing deity in prayer, instead of the more common pronouns you, your, and yours. By doing so, we show greater respect to our Heavenly Father. 

L. Tom Perry April 1993 General Conference

 https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1993/04/back-to-gospel-basics?lang=eng

#3

Prayer is one of the greatest blessings we have while here on earth. Through prayer we can communicate with our Heavenly Father and seek His guidance daily. Jesus taught, “Ye must always pray unto the Father in my name” (3 Ne. 18:19). We should pray each day that we will have the power to resist temptation. Amulek teaches us that we should pray “morning, mid-day, and evening” and that our hearts should “be full, drawn out in prayer unto [God] continually” (Alma 34:21, 27). Our daily prayers influence our thoughts, our words, and our actions. In order to retain a remission of our sins, it is essential that we ask our Heavenly Father each day for strength to stay in the straight and narrow way.

Elder Keith Crockett – October 2000 General Conference

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2000/10/retaining-a-remission-of-sin?lang=eng

#4

Balance in the application of these specifications is vital. For example, in the process of making concrete, precise amounts of sand, gravel, cement, and water are used in order to achieve maximum strength. An incorrect amount or exclusion of any portion of these elements would make the concrete weak and not able to perform its important function.

In like manner, if we do not provide for an appropriate balance in our lives of daily personal prayer and feasting from the scriptures, weekly strengthening from partaking of the sacrament, and frequent participation in priesthood ordinances such as temple ordinances, we too are at risk of being weakened in our spiritual structural strength.

Bishop Dean M Davies – April 2013 General Conference

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/04/a-sure-foundation?lang=eng

Family

#1

Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. ‘Children are an heritage of the Lord’ (Psalms 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, to teach them to love and serve one another, to observe the commandments of God and to be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.” 1 ^{- Proclamtion to the world -} This proclamation was read by President Gordon B. Hinckley as part of his message at the General Relief Society Meeting held September 23, 1995, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

#2

May we be blessed with the inspiration and love to meet opposition with faith within our families. We will then know that our trials are to draw us closer to the Lord and to one another. May we listen to a prophet’s voice and set in order our own homes (see D&C 93:41–49). The family is strengthened as we draw near to the Lord, and each member of the family is strengthened as we lift and strengthen and love and care for one another. – Robert D Hales – April 1999 General Conference - http://www.lds.org/general-conference/1999/04/strengthening-families-our-sacred-duty?lang=eng

#3

We hope that by flooding the Church with family-oriented media, members of the Church will be assisted and encouraged to build stronger and better families. We hope it will cause a conscious and sustained effort in building an eternal family unit. An abundance of Church materials will be available for you from which to pick and choose useful ideas. At least by seeing family issues mentioned so often, we all will be reminded to focus our attention on the most important organization the Lord has established here on earth.

L. Tom Perry April 2003 General Conference

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2003/04/the-importance-of-the-family?lang=eng

#4

In the Church, our belief in the overriding importance of families is rooted in restored doctrine. We know of the sanctity of families in both directions of our eternal existence. We know that before this life we lived with our Heavenly Father as part of His family, and we know that family relationships can endure beyond death.

If we live and act upon this knowledge, we will attract the world to us. Parents who place a high priority on their families will gravitate to the Church because it offers the family structure, values, doctrine, and eternal perspective that they seek and cannot find elsewhere.

Our family-centered perspective should make Latter-day Saints strive to be the best parents in the world. It should give us enormous respect for our children, who truly are our spiritual siblings, and it should cause us to devote whatever time is necessary to strengthen our families. Indeed, nothing is more critically connected to happiness—both our own and that of our children—than how well we love and support one another within the family. - M. Russell Ballard October 2005 General Conference

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2005/10/what-matters-most-is-what-lasts-longest?lang=eng

Personal Revelation

#1
Even more amazing than modern technology is our opportunity to access information directly from heaven, without hardware, software, or monthly service fees. It is one of the most marvelous gifts the Lord has offered to mortals. It is His generous invitation to “ask, and it shall be given you;seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” 1
This timeless offer to provide personal revelation is extended to all of His children. It almost sounds too good to be true. But it is true! I have received and responded to that heavenly help. And I have learned that I always need to be ready to receive it.- http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2009/10/ask-seek-knock?lang=eng - Russel M Nelson – October 2009 General Conference

#2
Revelation comes as words we feel more than hear. Nephi told his wayward brothers, who were visited by an angel, “Ye were past feeling,that ye could not feel his words.” 16 ^- http://www.lds.org/general-conference/1994/10/personal-revelation-the-gift-the-test-and-the-promise?lang=eng –Body K Packer – Oct 1994 General Conference

#3
The events of these past two days teach us the need for revelation in the Lord’s work and personal revelation in our own lives. Personal revelation is the way we know for ourselves the most important truths of our existence: the living reality of God, our Eternal Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ; the truthfulness of the restored gospel; and God’s purpose and

direction for us.

#4

I have learned that prayer provides a firm foundation for personal revelation. But more is required. While still a regional representative, I had the opportunity to learn from another Apostle, Elder Boyd K. Packer. We were assigned to reorganize a stake and began by kneeling in prayer together. After interviewing priesthood leaders and having prayer, Elder Packer suggested that we walk around the building together. As we walked, he demonstrated a vital principle of seeking personal revelation—the principle the Lord taught Oliver Cowdery: “Behold, … you must study it out in your mind.”5 We pondered our assignment, counseled together, and listened to the voice of the Spirit. When we went back, we prayed and studied further, and then we were prepared to receive revelation.

Robert D Hales – October 2007 General Conference

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2007/10/personal-revelation-the-teachings-and-examples-of-the-prophets?lang=eng

Pornography 

#1
The scriptures repeatedly teach that the Spirit of the Lord will not dwell in an unclean tabernacle. When we worthily partake of the sacrament, we are promised that we will “always have his Spirit to be with [us].” To qualify for that promise we covenant that we will “always remember him” (D&C 20:77). Those who seek out and use pornography for sexual stimulation obviously violate that covenant. They also violate a sacred covenant to refrain from unholy and impure practices. They cannot have the Spirit of the Lord to be with them. All such need to heed the Apostle Peter’s plea: “Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee” (Acts 8:22). - http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2005/04/pornography?lang=eng

#2

Pornography, the carrier, is big business. It is evil. It is contagious. It is addicting. It is estimated that in recent years Americans alone spent $8–10 billion per year on hard-core pornography 1 —a fortune siphoned away from noble use and diverted to a devilish purpose!

Apathy toward pornography stems mostly from a widespread public attitude that it is a victimless crime and that police resources are better used in other areas. Many state and local ordinances are ineffective, sentences are light, and the huge financial rewards far outweigh the risks.

#3

The constant, consuming march of the pornography beetle blights neighborhoods just as it contaminates human lives. It has just about destroyed some areas. It moves relentlessly closer to your city, your neighborhood, and your family. Pornography is now more available than ever. At the click of a button, evil can be viewed in our homes on televisions and computer screens, in our hotels and movie theaters, or even in our places of employment, where access to the Internet is often provided.

#4

Let us join in the fervent declaration of Joshua: “Choose you this day whom ye will serve; … but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” 8 Let our hearts be pure. Let our lives be clean. Let our voices be heard. Let our actions be felt.

Then the beetle of pornography will be halted in its deadly course. Pernicious permissiveness will have met its match. And we, with Joshua, will safely cross over Jordan into the promised land—even to eternal life in the celestial kingdom of our God.

President Thomas S Monson – July 2001 Ensign

https://www.lds.org/ensign/2001/07/pornography-the-deadly-carrier?lang=eng

Service

#1

Latter-day Saints are uniquely committed to sacrifice. In partaking of the sacrament each week, we witness our commitment to serve the Lord and our fellowmen. In sacred temple ceremonies we covenant to sacrifice and consecrate our time and talents for the welfare of others.

#2

A familiar example of losing ourselves in the service of others—this one not unique to Latter-day Saints—is the sacrifice parents make for their children. Mothers suffer pain and loss of personal priorities and comforts to bear and rear each child. Fathers adjust their lives and priorities to support a family. The gap between those who are and those who are not willing to do this is widening in today’s world.

April 2009 General Conference – Dallin H Oaks

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2009/04/unselfish-service?lang=eng

#3

Great things are wrought through simple and small things. Like the small flecks of gold that accumulate over time into a large treasure, our small and simple acts of kindness and service will accumulate into a life filled with love for Heavenly Father, devotion to the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, and a sense of peace and joy each time we reach out to one another. 

M. Russell Ballard April 2011 General Conference 

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2011/04/finding-joy-through-loving-service?lang=eng

#4

This is the service that counts, brethren—the service to which all of us have been called, the service of the Lord Jesus Christ.

As He enlists us to His cause, He invites us to draw close to Him. He speaks to you and to me:
“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.” (Matt. 11:28–30.)
To all who go forth in His service, He provides this assurance: “I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up.” (D&C 84:88.)
Thomas S Monson April 1989 General Conference
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1989/10/the-service-that-counts?lang=eng

 

Strengthening Marriage

#1

  Faith is the foundation of every virtue that strengthens marriage. Strengthening faith strengthens marriage. Faith grows as we keep the commandments, and so do the harmony and joy in marriage. Thus, keeping the commandments is fundamental to establishing strong eternal marriages. Watch and learn: faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the foundation of happy eternal marriages. 

L. Whitney Clayton - April 2013 General Conference 

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/04/marriage-watch-and-learn?lang=eng

 #2

 I invite each marital partner to consider these suggestions and then determine specific goals to nurture your own relationship. Begin with sincere desire. Identify those actions needed to bless your spiritual unity and purpose. Above all, do not be selfish! Generate a spirit of selflessness and generosity. Celebrate and commemorate each day together as a treasured gift from heaven.

Russell M Nelson – April 2006 General Conference

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2006/04/nurturing-marriage?lang=eng

#3

If you have concerns about your family, ask the missionaries! They can help you! Strengthening marriages and families is of utmost importance to Latter-day Saints. Families can be together forever. Ask the missionaries to teach you how this is possible for your family.

Russell M Nelson – October 2012 General Conference

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/10/ask-the-missionaries-they-can-help-you?lang=eng

#4

We understand that the home is the basic unit created by God for our service and learning. Out of this understanding grows a commitment to make our time spent with family a top priority and to look inside to determine how to be a better companion. Out of these reflections flow actions that are kind and loving and forgiving toward our spouses. We see sisters who truly desire their children to partake of the fruit of the gospel by going on missions and marrying in the temple, so they spend time holding meaningful family home evenings, family scripture study, and prayer, and in regular personal temple attendance. The declaration will be a continual reminder to focus on our most important responsibilities.

Mary Ellen Smoot – October 1999 General Conference

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1999/10/rejoice-daughters-of-zion?lang=eng

 

Temple Work

#1

This is a spiritual work, a monumental effort of cooperation on both sides of the veil where help is given in both directions. It begins with love. Anywhere you are in the world, with prayer, faith, determination, diligence, and some sacrifice, you can make a powerful contribution. Begin now. I promise you that the Lord will help you find a way. And it will make you feel wonderful.

Richard G Scott – October 1990 General Conference

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1990/10/redemption-the-harvest-of-love?lang=eng

#2

Any work you do in the temple is time well spent, but receiving ordinances vicariously for one of your own ancestors will make the time in the temple more sacred, and even greater blessings will be received. The First Presidency has declared, “Our preeminent obligation is to seek out and identify our own ancestors.”7

Elder Richard G Scott – October 2012 General Conference

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/10/the-joy-of-redeeming-the-dead?lang=eng

#3

 

Here then, was the answer. With proper authority an individual could be baptized for and in behalf of someone who had never had the opportunity. That individual would then accept or reject the baptism, according to his own desire.
This work came as a great reaffirmation of something very basic that the Christian world now only partly believes: and that is that there is life after death. Mortal death is no more an ending than birth was a beginning. The great work of redemption goes on beyond the veil as well as here in mortality.

Boyd K Packer October 1975 General Conference

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1975/10/the-redemption-of-the-dead?lang=eng

#4

 

Brothers and sisters, in conclusion, many years ago humble listeners asked Peter, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37.) Peter replied, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you.” (Acts 2:38.) To your silent questions, Where should I begin? What should I do? we say, Seek out those who are called to direct this work in your ward or branch. Go to your family history center and the temple. Identify those of your ancestors whose identity may be lost to human memory. Get started now, and the Lord will help you.

Earl C. Tingey – April 1991 General Conference

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1991/04/redemption-of-the-dead?lang=eng

Tithing

#1 To those who faithfully and honestly live the law of tithing, the Lord promises an abundance of blessings. Some of these blessings are temporal, just as tithes are temporal. But like the outward physical ordinances of baptism and the sacrament, the commandment to pay tithing requires temporal sacrifice, which ultimately yields great spiritual blessings.

#2 Tithing has been established in these latter days as an essential law for members of the Lord’s restored Church. It is one of the basic ways we witness our faith in Him and our obedience to His laws and commandments. Tithing is one of the commandments that qualifies us, by our faith, to enter the temple—the house of the Lord.

Robert D Hales – October 2002 General Conference

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2002/10/tithing-a-test-of-faith-with-eternal-blessings?lang=eng

#3 The payment of tithing also brings the individual tithe payer unique spiritual blessings. Tithe paying is evidence that we accept the law of sacrifice. It also prepares us for the law of consecration and the other higher laws of the celestial kingdom. The Lectures on Faith, prepared by the early leaders of the restored Church, part the curtain on that subject when they say:

“Let us here observe that a religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation; for, from the first existence of man, the faith necessary unto the enjoyment of life and salvation never could be obtained without the sacrifice of all earthly things” (Lectures on Faith, 6:7).

Dallin H Oaks – April 1994 General Conference

 https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1994/04/tithing?lang=eng

#4 I would like to offer a word of counsel to the many thousands of members joining the Church today as a result of the diligent efforts of our missionaries. Exercise your faith. Pay your tithing. This law may be different from that to which you were accustomed prior to your baptism. But nothing you do as a new convert will more completely prepare you to enjoy the wonderful blessings that await you—even temple blessings—than paying your tithing.

Earl C. Tingey – April 2002 General Conference

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2002/04/the-law-of-tithing?lang=eng