In [a] recent general conference, President Russell M. Nelson declared: “...Through personal revelation, you can receive your own witness that...this is the Lord’s Church. Regardless of what others may say or do, no one can ever take away a witness borne to your heart and mind about what is true.”…some have not yet fully received the gospel of Jesus Christ into their lives…The gospel does not yet define them. They are not yet centered in Christ. They are selective about the doctrines and commandments they will follow.
- D. Todd Christofferson, Firm and Steadfast in the Faith of Christ
Faith in Christ will change our thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors that are not in harmony with God’s will. True repentance brings us back to doing what is right. To truly repent we must recognize our sins and feel remorse, or godly sorrow, and confess those sins to God…We need to ask God for forgiveness and do all we can to correct whatever harm our actions may have caused. Repentance means a change of mind and heart—we stop doing things that are wrong, and we start doing things that are right.
- Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Point of Safe Return
[P]lease believe how very much your loving Heavenly Father wants to bless you. But because He will not infringe upon our agency, we must ask for His help. This is generally done through prayer. Prayer is one of the most precious gifts of God to man…Sometimes we seem to get no answer to our sincere and striving prayers. It takes faith to remember that the Lord answers in His time and in His way so as to best bless us. Or, on further reflection, we will often realize that we already know full well what we should do.
- J. Devn Cornish, The Privilege of Prayer
The great prophet Mormon set [an] example worthy of emulation. He lived at a time that was hopeless...In spite of this...Mormon led their armies...This prophet had Christlike love for a fallen people. Can we be content with loving less? We must press forward with the pure love of Christ to spread the good news of the gospel... We cannot do everything, but we must do everything we can.
- Glenn L. Pace, A Thousand Times
[W]e each have at least one person we love and often more...for whom we ache with concern. They have been taught the gospel. They have made covenants. And yet they go on in disobedience or neglect, despite the emptiness we know that brings them. The choice to repent or to remain a prisoner of sin is their own…Satan tempts with procrastination throughout our days of probation…the Lord has given us ample warning...The truth is that today is always a better day to repent than any tomorrow.
- President Henry B. Eyring, Do Not Delay
We long to be close to the Lord, for we know that He loves each of us and desires to encircle us “eternally in the arms of his love.”... His promise invites us not only to reach towards Him but also to take the all-important next step: to come unto Him. This is such a motivating, cheering doctrine. The Messiah extends His arm of mercy to us, always eager to receive us—if we choose to come to Him.
- Ann C. Pingree, To Look, Reach, and Come unto Christ
No one needs to feel alone on the road of life, for we are all invited to come unto Christ and be perfected in Him. Happiness is the purpose of the gospel and the purpose of the redeeming Atonement for all men...we need to recognize that “wanting to” is the determining factor which leads us to lay hold upon the word of God and be happy…life is good if we live in such a way to make it so. Believing, desiring, deciding, and choosing correctly are the simple actions that define an increase in happiness and an increase in the inner assurance that transcends this life.
- Benjamin De Hoyos, True Happiness: A Conscious Decision
Our mortal probation is not easy, and it is not brief...We can choose to follow Heavenly Father’s eternal plan of salvation and redemption, or we can try to find our own way. We can be obedient and keep His commandments, or we can reject them and face the consequences that will surely follow...We must deal with challenges. We may experience loneliness…Heavenly Father has not left us alone during our mortal probation...Hold fast, and believe that Heavenly Father will bless you for your diligence.
- Ann M. Dibb, Hold On
Nephi had said [this] previously about the brass plates: “We had obtained the records … and searched them and found that they were … of great worth unto us, insomuch that we could preserve the commandments of the Lord unto our children."...if it was wisdom for Lehi and his family to have the scriptures, it is just as wise for us today. The great worth and spiritual power of the scriptures continue undimmed in our lives today....The most important copy of the Book of Mormon is our personal copy. It is the copy that we read.
- Mark L. Pace, It Is Wisdom in the Lord That We Should Have the Book of Mormon
Joseph’s translation of the Book of Mormon by the gift and power of God was foundational to the Restoration. The Book of Mormon is internally consistent, beautifully written, and contains the answers to life’s great questions. It is another testament of Jesus Christ. I testify that Joseph Smith was righteous, full of faith, and an instrument in the Lord’s hands in bringing forth the Book of Mormon.
- Quentin L. Cook, Conversion to the Will of God
Do you realize that the Book of Mormon was written for you—and for your day?...You now have easily within your reach the sacred record that prophets, priests, and kings treasured, embraced, and preserved! You have the benefit of holding in your hands the complete Book of Mormon. Interestingly, one of the Book of Mormon prophets, Moroni, saw our day—your day.
- Gary E. Stevenson, Look to the Book, Look to the Lord
As the early Apostles followed Jesus Christ and heard Him teach the gospel, they witnessed many miracles…Miracles, signs, and wonders abound among followers of Jesus Christ today, in your lives and in mine... Many of you have witnessed miracles, more than you realize. They may seem small in comparison to Jesus raising the dead. But the magnitude does not distinguish a miracle, only that it came from God...miracles are a lifeline from heaven to earth.
- Ronald A. Rasband, “Behold! I Am a God of Miracles”
Inspiring Short: The Miracle of the Ordinary | Lawrence E. Corbridge
[O]ur Heavenly Father and our Savior, Jesus Christ, know us and love us. They know when we are in pain or suffering in any way...They feel the depth of our suffering, and we can feel of Their love and compassion in our suffering…When we wonder if we are known by our Savior and our Father in Heaven or how well They know us personally, we might remember the Savior’s words to Oliver Cowdery...The Savior reminded Oliver that He knew every detail of that pleading prayer.
- Linda S. Reeves, The Lord Has Not Forgotten You
Because He loves us, the Lord expects much of us. If we are humble, we will welcome the Lord’s invitations to repent, to sacrifice, and to serve as evidence of His perfect love for us. After all, an invitation to repent is also an invitation to receive the wonderful gift of forgiveness and peace. Therefore, “despise not … the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of Him: for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth.”
- S. Mark Palmer, Then Jesus Beholding Him Loved Him
We live at a time when many in the world have slipped from the moorings of safety found in compliance with the commandments. It is a time of permissiveness, with society in general routinely disregarding and breaking the laws of God. We often find ourselves swimming against the current, and sometimes it seems as though the current could carry us away...He has prepared us. If we heed His words and live the commandments, we will survive... He is ever mindful of us.
- President Thomas S. Monson, Closing Remarks
The way to receive personal revelation is really quite clear. We need to desire to receive revelation, we must not harden our hearts, and then we need to ask in faith, truly believe that we will receive an answer, and then diligently keep the commandments of God…Most often personal revelation will come as we study the scriptures, listen to and follow the counsel of prophets and other Church leaders, and seek to live faithful, righteous lives…The Lord desires to bless us with guidance, wisdom, and direction in our lives.
- Barbara Thompson, Personal Revelation and Testimony
The Bread Loaf Prayer | Come Learn with Me
[O]f all God’s remarkable creations, only we, His children, are created in His image and likeness. Only we, His children, have the capacity to develop our own spiritual convictions. And only we, His children, can give voice and expression to our witness of Him. We, His children, rejoice in our privilege and sacred obligation to bear record of Him and His gospel...it is [a] sacred privilege to help a child know the Creator of this world and to bear record of the love that He has for every one of His children.
- Susan L. Warner, Bear Record of Him
I testify that one cannot come to full faith in this latter-day work...until he or she embraces the divinity of the Book of Mormon and the Lord Jesus Christ, of whom it testifies... Witnesses, even witnesses who were for a time hostile to Joseph, testified to their death that they had seen an angel and had handled the plates. “They have been shown unto us by the power of God, and not of man,” they declared. “Wherefore we know of a surety that the work is true.”... I want it absolutely clear when I stand before the judgment bar of God that I declared to the world, in the most straightforward language I could summon, that the Book of Mormon is true.
- Jeffrey R. Holland, Safety for the Soul
Why Were Three Key Witnesses Chosen to Testify of the Book of Mormon? (Knowhy #267)