Prophetic Priorities

Each of us face many decisions on how we use our time each day. Some of these decisions are routine or mundane and do not require much thought: Each morning I know I will spend time getting ready for work. I will use some of my time each day for eating and sleeping. On Sundays my family will use our time to go to church. These decisions-- and thousands of others-- are made without much conscious thought.

Other decisions require many devoted hours of study and research. Perhaps we are considering a career change, a college major, a move to someplace we've never been or a change in our family life.

The decisions we make without conscious thought or while racking our brains can both have major implications for our lives. As we consider our choices, Elder Oaks has reminded us that it is, 'not enough' to do something good. 'The number of good things we can do far exceeds the time available to accomplish them,' he explains. 'Some things are better than good, and these are the things that should command priority attention in our lives.'

Though the agency to allocate our time is ours alone, living prophets provide guidance and counsel that will inform our judgment and direct our lives toward those things that are best. These choices may not always be popular or easy. A particular choice may require we do something difficult or carry a burden we'd prefer not to carry. Elder Oaks reminds us in such times that 'even though a particular choice is more costly, its far greater value may make it the best choice of all.'

Prophetic priorities also protect us against dangers that could derail our lives and destroy our futures. Though the Word of Wisdom was revealed to the prophet Joseph Smith in 1833, it was President Heber J. Grant that emphasized adherence to this principle from 1918 to 1945. This was the time of prohibition, the Great Depression and World War II, when smoking and drinking were accepted norms and even considered glamorous.

Beginning in the 1960s, while illegal drug use was reaching epidemic proportions, researchers began to discover the significant health risks of tobacco, alcohol and other drugs. Elder Quentin L. Cook recently explained that 'obeying the Word of Wisdom gave our members, especially our youth, a preventative inoculation against drug use and the resulting health problems and moral hazards.' The prophets, like watchmen on a tower, saw the danger afar off and prepared those who would listen from the influences and addictions that could have destroyed them (see D&C 101:44-54).

In a January 2013 devotional, Sister Elaine S. Dalton taught that 'as dedicated disciples we must act and make prophetic priorities our priorities. In order to do this we will need to be riveted on the words of the current prophets, seers, and revelators.' The most recent general conference included a major announcement on missionary work and the announcement of several new temples. From the topics listed in the Ensign, there were nine talks about serving others, six about discipleship, six about the priesthood, eight about marriage, family or children, and twelve about Christ, repentance or the Atonement.

Are these priorities our priorities? Could a passer-by identify our priorities with a quick glance at our daily planner or by observing how we use our time today?

As another general conference approaches, we should remember to ask ourselves what we will strive to become because of what we hear from the Lord's prophets. In a separate address, Elder Oaks taught, 'We are accountable and will be judged for how we use what we have received... The principle of accountability also applies to the spiritual resources conferred in the teachings we have been given and to the precious hours and days allotted to each of us during our time in mortality.'

There are more opportunities to do something good than any of us could possibly have time enough to do. If we seek to make prophetic priorities our own, decisions of any size will contribute to a life filled with what is best. We will be protected from danger, find peace and joy in our decisions, and be led home to that God who, like any good father, is rooting for us to pass the tests we face. If we've let prophetic priorities be our guide, that will be the best of all.

Testimony and Conversion

In Matthew 16, Christ asks his disciples, 'Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?' The disciples relayed the speculation of the day that perhaps Christ was one of several possible Old Testament prophets returned to fulfill some prior prophecy. Christ then asked, 'But whom say ye that I am?' Peter responded, 'Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.' Christ responded with a one sentence sermon on testimony:  'Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven' (v. 13-17).

To have a testimony of the gospel is to have a knowledge in our hearts and minds that it is true. The Holy Ghost can witness to our souls that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ, that the authority and doctrine of Christ's church was restored through Joseph Smith, and of all other things which are true.

The holy scriptures record the testimonies of dozens of prophets and disciples of Christ from the beginning of the world to modern times. Job testified almost four thousand years ago:  'For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God' (Job 19:25-26). Likewise, Alma testified to the people of the ancient Americas that 'the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me' (Alma 7:13).

In the dawn of the current gospel dispensation the prophet Joseph Smith declared:

And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives! For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father-- That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God (D&C 76:22-24).

The Holy Ghost has provided a divine witness of Christ to the thoughts and feelings of sincere inquirers in every era of time and upon every continent where people have asked God to know the truth. None of us can obtain a testimony entirely on our own; it is a gift that must be given to us. We gain our testimonies as the Holy Ghost shares his; similarly, sharing our testimonies with others invites the Holy Ghost to testify all who hear it, ourselves included.


Though testimonies are given as divine gifts, our hearts and minds are prepared to receive testimony as we desire to have it and show our desire through obedience to God's commandments. The same Alma mentioned above once compared testimony to a seed that must be planted and nourished in order to grow (Alma 32:28-42). As the laws of biology explain the growth of a seed, the laws of the gospel will teach us what we must to to receive the faith and testimony we desire.

The Lord taught Joseph Smith that the first step is to ask in prayer. 'If thou shalt ask, thou shalt receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon knowledge, that thou mayest know the mysteries and peacable things-- that which bringeth joy, that which bringeth life eternal' (D&C 42:61).


It is up to each of us to nourish and grow the knowledge we desire to have with all the time and attention we might give a growing plant in our garden. The Lord promises that 'every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened' (Matthew 7:8).

As necessary as it is to receive a testimony of the gospel, testimony alone is insufficient to bring about salvation. Elder Dallin H. Oaks has explained: 'To testify is to know and to declare. The gospel challenges us to become converted, which requires us to do and to become' ('The Challenge to Become, October 2000). Christ taught, 'Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven' (Matthew 7:21). In other words, 'Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven' (Matthew 18:3).

This is the same message King Benjamin delivered to his people about 124 years before the coming of Christ. He taught:

Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend. And again, believe that ye must repent of your sins and forsake them, and humble yourselves before God; and ask in sincerity of heart that he would forgive you; and now, if you believe all these things see that ye do them (Mosiah 4:9-10).

As we allow our testimonies to direct our actions we will experience a change of heart. The people of King Benjamin had 'a mighty change... in [their] hearts, that [they had] no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually' as a result of their obedience to the words of their prophet-king. Almost 40 years later, King Benjamin's grandsons helped a rival kingdom to experience a similar conversion.

Faith in the words of scripture and the courage to repent and change transformed the once bloodthirsty, angry, warmongering rivals into a steadfast, faithful, and peaceful people. Allowing their testimonies to guide their actions, the people who called themselves Anti-Nephi-Lehis buried their weapons and knelt in prayer even as the disbelievers among them massacred thousands of their friends, family members and countrymen. In turn, the actions of this converted people eventually softened the hearts of the disbelievers and inspired tens of thousands to plant the seed of conversion in their hearts (Alma 24).

The people of King Benjamin and the Anti-Nephi-Lehis are examples of the dedication, commitment, miracles and strength that can and will occur in the converted heart.

Paul taught the Ephesians that all testimony has been given that we may all attain 'the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ' (Ephesians 4:13). In the most recent general conference, Elder M. Russell Ballard taught: 'Only when our testimony transcends what is in our mind and burrows deep into our heart will our motivation to love and to serve become like unto the Savior's. It is then, and only then, that we become deeply converted disciples of Christ empowered by the Spirit to reach the hearts of our fellowmen'.

Elder Oaks has taught that 'this process requires far more than acquiring knowledge. It is not even enough for us to be convinced of the gospel; we must act and think so that we are converted by it. In contrast to the institutions of the world, which teach us to know something, the gospel of Jesus Christ challenges us to become something.'

He continued, 'It is not enough for anyone to just go through the motions. The commandments, ordinances, and covenants of the gospel are not a list of deposits to be made in some heavenly account. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a plan that shows us how to become what our Heavenly Father desires us to become... Now is the time for each of us to work toward our personal conversion, toward becoming what our Heavenly Father desires us to become.'

We take the 'next logical step in our complete conversion to the gospel of Christ by assimilating its doctrines deep within our hearts and our souls so we will act and live consistently--and with integrity--what we profess to believe.  This integrity simplifies our lives and amplifies our sensitivities to the Spirit and to the needs of others. It brings joy into our lives and peace to our souls--the kind of joy and peace that comes to us as we repent of our sins and follow the Savior by keeping His commandments' (Ballard, 2012).

What things might you profess to believe without living that belief consistently? Is there a variance between how important you say your family is and how important you treat your family? Could someone quickly discern your faith in Christ by the language you use, the discipline you exercise in your life, or what you choose to do for entertainment and recreation?

In our attempt to take the next step toward the consistent, joyous life of a converted disciple, Elder Ballard reminded us to seek opportunities to serve those around us. He promised that 'if you do this--at home, at school, at work, and at church... you will be prompted by the Spirit and magnificently motivated to help pollinate the world with the pure love of Christ and His gospel'.

Elder Oaks also shared practical counsel for becoming converted. As we take the next step, he advised, 'we should remember that our family relationships--even more than our Church callings--are the setting in which the most important part of that development can occur. The conversion we must achieve requires us to be a good husband and father or a good wife and mother. Being a successful Church leader is not enough. Exaltation is an eternal family experience, and it is our mortal family experiences that are best suited to prepare us for it.'

He continued:

Our needed conversions are often achieved more readily by suffering and adversity than by comfort and tranquility... Most of us experience some measure of what the scriptures call 'the furnace of affliction'. Some are submerged in service to a disadvantaged family member. Others suffer the death of a loved one or the loss or postponement of a righteous goal like marriage or childbearing. Still others struggle with personal impairments or with feelings of rejection, inadequacy, or depression. Through the justice and mercy of a loving Father in Heaven, the refinement and sanctification possible through such experiences can help us achieve what God desires us to become.

We are challenged to move through a process of conversion toward that status and condition called eternal life. This is achieved not just by doing what is right, but by doing it for the right reason—for the pure love of Christ.

Our path toward conversion begins as we plant the seed of testimony in our hearts. As we nurture it with regular scripture study and frequent, fervent prayer, our testimonies may grow in both breadth and depth. True conversion will come as we apply what we learn to our daily lives. Our righteous action will also allow the Holy Ghost to expand our testimonies and provide additional opportunities for a more complete conversion.

John taught, 'If any man will do his will, he shall know the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself' (John 7:17). What could you do this week to expand your testimony and conversion? Is there a gospel principle you would like to have confirmed to your soul by the Holy Ghost? Is there some needed repentance that could take place this week? In what ways can we make our lives more consistent with our testimonies? Have you completely washed away the desire to do evil like the people of King Benjamin did?

Though we'll all fall short at times--sometimes way short of where we'd like to be--we are not alone. The Holy Ghost can and will testify to our hearts and minds that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of the world, as he testified to Joseph Smith, Alma and Job. Through the atonement of Christ we can be forgiven of our sins. We can be given the strength to make our actions consistent with our testimonies.We can become converted disciples of Christ and experience the joy and peace the Lord has promised.

Always Remember Him

Every Sunday as we attend our ward sacrament meeting, we hear two prayers repeated word-for-word. The first is the prayer on the bread of the sacrament; the second for the water. In these prayers we find the covenant we accepted at baptism: we covenant to take the name of Christ upon ourselves, to always keep His commandments, and to always remember Him.

Or do we?

When I was a teacher at the Provo Missionary Training Center, I would read the sacrament prayers often with the missionaries. At least once during their 8-week stay, after agreeing upon the covenant as mentioned above, I would inquire how long the missionaries kept all of the commandments after they took the sacrament on any given week. Most often, we would agree that we usually didn't get through an entire day, sometimes not even out of church, without having some undisciplined thought or saying something regretful or doing something inconsistent with the commandments we had covenanted to keep. We agreed that our failure to keep the commandments could potentially break the agreement we had made, making our covenant void.

At this conclusion, I would challenge the missionaries with a question: "If, in reality, we don't always keep the commandments, and that jeopardizes the validity of our covenant," I'd ask, "what happens if I die on a Thursday?"

With some back-and-forth discussion, the missionaries insisting repentance overrides all individual shortfalls and me asking for evidence from the verse, one or more of the missionaries would always stumble upon a most interesting word in D&C 20:77. "It doesn't say that we'll always keep the commandments," they'd say, "but that we we will be willing to take upon us the name of Christ, willing to always remember Him and willing to always keep the commandments." We'd conclude that a willing attitude is a key to keeping our covenants. We may not always keep every commandment, but as long as we press forward and are always willing to keep them, we are keeping our covenant-- and that is something we can do from Sunday to Thursday to Sunday and on again from week to week.

Something that I didn't realize well enough to share with my missionaries was the way the sacrament prayers work together. The prayer over the bread does indeed emphasize willingness. It says that as we eat the bread in remembrance of the body of Christ, we witness that we are, "willing to take upon them the name of thy Son, and always remember him and keeps his commandments which he has given them; that they may always have his Spirit to be with them." If we are truly willing, we may have his Spirit with us always.

The prayer over the water, however, is not about willingness. It is not about trying, it is about doing-- but the requirements are slightly different. As we drink in remembrance of the Savior's atoning blood, we witness, "that they do always remember him, that they may have his Spirit to be with them."

First, we agree to be willing, to keep trying, and to press forward. Then, we agree that we will always remember our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Knowing how to always remember Him is a point of such importance that it has merited three talks from living apostles with nearly identical titles. In a 2009 address from Elder D. Todd Christofferson, we learn that three aspects of always remembering Christ include seeking to know and follow His will; recognizing and accepting our obligation to answer to Christ for every thought, word, and action; and living with faith and without fear so that we can always look to the Savior for the help we need.

Elder Oaks provided more examples of how we can always remember Him in an address given in 1988. Some of those examples include serving as called, forgiving others, receiving ordinances, enduring affliction, ministering to the sick and afflicted, and loving our neighbors.

In his 1999 CES fireside address, then-Elder Eyring taught:

The Master not only foresees perfectly the growing power of the opposing forces but also knows what it is like to be mortal. He knows what it is like to have the cares of life press upon us. He knows that we are to eat bread by the sweat of our brows and of the cares, concerns, and even sorrows that come from the command to bring children to the earth. And He knows that both the trials we face and our human powers to deal with them ebb and flow.
He knows the mistake we can so easily make: to underestimate the forces working for us and to rely too much on our human powers. And so He offers us the covenant to “always remember Him” and the warning to “pray always” so that we will place our reliance on Him, our only safety. It is not hard to know what to do. The very difficulty of remembering always and praying always is a needed spur to try harder. The danger lies in delay or drift.

If we are unsure how to always remember Him, Elder Eyring encouraged us to start by remembering Him. He pleaded with us to study and ponder the scriptures and to go to our Heavenly Father in prayer. As we learn to always remember Christ, we will always have his Spirit with us, we will have armor and protection against pride and undisciplined thoughts that may lead us astray. We will have strength that we will not drift and faith to do all things.

As we take the sacrament each week, we are reminded of the promises we have made to be willing to take upon ourselves the name of Christ, to be willing to keep his commandments at all times and in all places, and to always, always remember Him. As the ten-minute reminder concludes, the task to remember becomes our own. As we establish habits of scripture reading, prayer and blessing those around us, we can ensure that we will remember Him for the 10,000 minutes of each week spent outside of sacrament meeting.

And, best of all, we can have his Spirit to be with us. Always.