A promise or invitation from each October 2020 general conference talk

On Wednesday, the text of the October 2020 general conference talks became available on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

To help you carry the messages from our Church leaders with you, here is one invitation or promise given by each of the speakers during general conference. We hope they will help you feel the peace that comes from Jesus Christ.

► You may also like: Here’s how you can preorder your own October general conference wide-margin journal edition

President Russell M. Nelson | “Moving Forward”
“As we gather to hear the words the Lord has inspired His servants to deliver, I invite you to ponder a promise the Lord made. He declared that ‘whosoever will may lay hold upon the word of God, which is quick and powerful, which shall divide asunder all the cunning . . . and the wiles of the devil, and lead the [disciple] of Christ in a strait and narrow course’” (Helaman 3:29; emphasis added).

Elder David A. Bednar | “We Will Prove Them Herewith”
“The process of proving ourselves is a fundamental part of Heavenly Father’s great plan of happiness. I promise that as we both prepare and press forward with faith in the Savior, we all can receive the same grade on the ultimate examination of mortality: ‘Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord’” (Matthew 25:21).

Elder Scott D. Whiting | “Becoming Like Him”
“Now, those of us who are brave might consider asking a trusted family member, spouse, friend, or spiritual leader what attribute of Jesus Christ we are in need of—and we may need to brace ourselves for the response! Sometimes we see ourselves with distorted fun-house mirrors that show us either much more round or much more lean than we really are.

“Trusted friends and family can help us see ourselves more accurately, but even they, as loving and helpful as they would like to be, can see things imperfectly. As a result, it is vital that we also ask our loving Heavenly Father what we are in need of and where we should focus our efforts. He has a perfect view of us and will lovingly show us our weakness.”

Sister Michelle D. Craig | “Eyes to See”
“I witness that Jesus Christ loves us and can give us eyes to see—even when it’s hard, even when we’re tired, even when we’re lonely, and even when the outcomes are not as we hoped. Through His grace, He will bless us and increase our capacity.”

Elder Quentin L. Cook | “Hearts Knit in Righteousness and Unity”
“Being righteous is not dependent on each of us having every blessing in our lives at this time. We may not be married or blessed with children or have other desired blessings now. But the Lord has promised that the righteous who are faithful ‘may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness’” (Mosiah 2:41).

Elder Ronald A. Rasband | “Recommended to the Lord”
“I promise you as an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ that as you strive to redouble your righteous efforts, you will feel renewed in your devotion to God the Father and Jesus Christ, you will feel an abundance of the Holy Ghost guiding you, you will be grateful for your sacred covenants, and you will feel peace knowing you are ‘recommended to the Lord.’”

President Dallin H. Oaks | “Love Your Enemies”
“As I have lived for many years in different places in this nation, the Lord has taught me that it is possible to obey and seek to improve our nation’s laws and also to love our adversaries and our enemies. While not easy, it is possible with the help of our Lord, Jesus Christ. He gave this command to love, and He promises His help as we seek to obey it.”

Elder D. Todd Christofferson | “Sustainable Societies”
“If enough of us and enough of our neighbors strive to make our decisions and guide our lives by the truth of God, the moral virtues needed in every society will abound.”

President Steven J. Lund | “Finding Joy in Christ”
“I pray that you will strive, with redoubled energy worthy of this time, to serve, exercise faith, repent, and improve each day, to qualify to receive temple blessings and the enduring joy that comes only through the gospel of Jesus Christ. I pray that you will prepare to become that diligent missionary, loyal husband or wife, loving father or mother that you have been promised you may ultimately become by being a true disciple of Jesus Christ.

“May you help prepare the world for the Savior’s return by inviting all to come unto Christ and receive the blessings of His Atonement.”

Elder Gerrit W. Gong | “All Nations, Kindreds, and Tongues”
“Heavenly Father invites us everywhere to feel His love, to learn and grow through education, honorable work, self-reliant service, and patterns of goodness and happiness we find in His restored Church.

“As we come to trust God, sometimes through pleading in our darkest, loneliest, most uncertain moments, we learn He knows us better and loves us more than we know or love ourselves.”

Bishop W. Christopher Waddell | “There Was Bread”
“As we embrace spiritual principles and seek inspiration from the Lord, we will be guided to know the Lord’s will for us, individually and as families, and how best to apply the important principles of temporal preparedness. The most important step of all is to begin.”

Elder Matthew S. Holland | “The Exquisite Gift of the Son”
“That you might taste this happiness now and be filled with it forever, I invite you to do what Alma did: let your mind catch hold on the exquisite gift of the Son of God as revealed through His gospel in this, His true and living Church.”

Elder William K. Jackson | “The Culture of Christ”
“The prophets have taught that it is necessary to leave behind anything in our old cultures that is inconsistent with the culture of Christ. But that doesn’t mean we have to leave behind everything. The prophets have also emphasized that we are invited, one and all, to bring our faith and talents and knowledge—all that is good in our lives and our individual cultures—with us and let the Church ‘add to it’ through the message of the gospel.”

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf | “God Will Do Something Unimaginable”
“As an Apostle of the Lord, I invite and bless you to ‘cheerfully do all things that lie in [your] power; and then may [you] stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed’ (Doctrine and Covenants 123:17). And I promise that the Lord will cause unimaginable things to come from your righteous labors.”

Sister Sharon Eubank | “By Union of Feeling We Obtain Power With God”
“Relief Society and Young Women are not simply classes. They can also be unforgettable experiences where very different women all get into the same boat and row until we find our swing. I offer this invitation: be part of a collective force that changes the world for good.”

Sister Becky Craven | “Keep the Change”
“Jesus Christ has given us a continuous pattern for change. He invites us to exercise faith in Him, which inspires us to repent—'which faith and repentance bringeth a change of heart’ (Helaman 15:7). As we repent and turn our hearts to Him, we gain a greater desire to make and live sacred covenants.”

Sister Cristina B. Franco | “The Healing Power of Jesus Christ”
“I testify that Jesus Christ is our loving Savior, our Redeemer, the Master Healer, and our faithful friend. If we turn to Him, He will heal us and make us whole again.”

President Henry B. Eyring | “Sisters in Zion”
“I testify that you are citizens of the Lord’s kingdom on the earth. You are daughters of a loving Heavenly Father, who sent you into the world with unique gifts that you promised to use to bless others. I promise you that the Lord will lead you by the hand, through the Holy Ghost. He will go before your face as you help Him prepare His people to become His promised Zion.”

President Dallin H. Oaks | “Be of Good Cheer”
“There is boundless power in the doctrine of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Our unshakable faith in that doctrine guides our steps and gives us joy. It enlightens our minds and gives strength and confidence to our actions. This guidance and enlightenment and power are promised gifts we have received from our Heavenly Father. By understanding and conforming our lives to that doctrine, including the divine gift of repentance, we can be of good cheer as we keep ourselves on the path toward our eternal destiny—reunion and exaltation with our loving heavenly parents.”

President Russell M. Nelson | “Embrace the Future with Faith”
“I invite you, my dear sisters, to create a home that is a place of security. And I renew my invitation for you to increase your understanding of priesthood power and of temple covenants and blessings. Having places of security to which you can retreat will help you embrace the future with faith.”

President M. Russell Ballard | “Watch Ye Therefore, and Pray Always” 
“I invite all Church members, as well as our neighbors and friends of other faith groups worldwide, to do as the Savior counseled His disciples: ‘Watch ye therefore, and pray always’ for peace, for comfort, for safety, and for opportunities to serve one another” (Luke 21:36, emphasis added).

Sister Lisa L. Harkness | “Peace, Be Still”
“Regardless of our circumstances, we can intentionally make efforts to build and increase our faith in Jesus Christ. It is strengthened when we remember that we are children of God and that He loves us. Our faith grows as we experiment on the word of God with hope and diligence, trying our very best to follow Christ’s teachings. Our faith increases as we choose to believe rather than doubt, forgive rather than judge, repent rather than rebel. Our faith is refined as we patiently rely on the merits and mercy and grace of the Holy Messiah.”

Elder Ulisses Soares | “Seek Christ in Every Thought”
“I testify to you that the promises given by our dear prophet are the promises given by the Savior Himself. I invite all of us to ‘hear Him’ in every thought and follow Him with all our heart in order to obtain the strength and courage to say, ‘No’ and ‘Get thee hence’ to all the things that might bring unhappiness into our life. If we do so, I promise that the Lord will send an added measure of His Holy Spirit to strengthen and comfort us and we may become individuals after the Lord’s own heart.”

Elder Carlos A. Godoy | “I Believe in Angels” 
“I promise that if we are willing to serve, the Lord will give us opportunities to be ministering angels. He knows who needs angelic help, and He will put them in our path. The Lord puts those who need angelic help in our path daily.”

Elder Neil L. Andersen | “We Talk of Christ”
“I promise you that as you prepare yourselves, as President Nelson did, you too will be different, thinking more about the Savior, speaking of Him more frequently and with less hesitation. As you come to know and love Him even more deeply, your words will flow more comfortably, as they do when you speak of one of your children or of a dear friend. Those listening to you will feel less like debating or dismissing you and more like learning from you.”

President Russell M. Nelson | “Let God Prevail”
“I grieve that our Black brothers and sisters the world over are enduring the pains of racism and prejudice. Today I call upon our members everywhere to lead out in abandoning attitudes and actions of prejudice. I plead with you to promote respect for all of God’s children.”

President Henry B. Eyring | “Tested, Proved, and Polished”
“We must notice the tribulation of others and try to help. That will be especially hard when we are being sorely tested ourselves. But we will discover as we lift another’s burden, even a little, that our backs are strengthened and we sense a light in the darkness.”

Elder Jeremy R. Jaggi | “Let Patience Have Her Perfect Work, and Count It All Joy!”
“I witness of the redeeming, sanctifying, humbling, and joyous power of the Savior Jesus Christ. I witness that when we pray to our Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus, He will answer us. I witness that as we hear, hearken, and heed the voice of the Lord and His living prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, we can ‘let patience have her perfect work’ and ‘count it all joy.’”

Elder Gary E. Stevenson | “Highly Favored of the Lord”
“As I close, please listen to the encouraging, enthusiastic, uplifting words of the Prophet Joseph Smith. One would never guess he penned them in affliction and isolation, constrained and restricted at a home in Nauvoo, hiding from those who were seeking to illegally apprehend him:

‘Now, what do we hear in the gospel which we have received? A voice of gladness! A voice of mercy from heaven; and a voice of truth out of the earth; glad tidings for the dead; a voice of gladness for the living and the dead; glad tidings of great joy. . . .

‘. . . Shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, . . . and on, on to the victory! Let your hearts rejoice, and be exceedingly glad. Let the earth break forth into singing.’”

Brother Milton Camargo | “Ask, Seek, and Knock”
“Our prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, has given a similar invitation in our day. He said: ‘Pray in the name of Jesus Christ about your concerns, your fears, your weaknesses—yes, the very longings of your heart. And then listen! Write the thoughts that come to your mind. Record your feelings and follow through with actions that you are prompted to take. As you repeat this process day after day, month after month, year after year, you will ‘grow into the principle of revelation.’”

Elder Dale G. Renlund | “Do Justly, Love Mercy, and Walk Humbly with God”
“We can assess our own progress. We can know ‘that the course of life [that we are] pursuing is according to God’s will’ when we do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God. We assimilate the attributes of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ into our character, and we love one another.”

Elder Kelly R. Johnson | “Enduring Power”
“I invite you to seek the power God wants to give you. I testify that as we seek for this power, we will be blessed with a greater understanding of the love our Heavenly Father has for us.”

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland | “Waiting on the Lord”
“So while we work and wait together for the answers to some of our prayers, I offer you my apostolic promise that they are heard and they are answered, though perhaps not at the time or in the way we wanted. But they are always answered at the time and in the way an omniscient and eternally compassionate parent should answer them.”

President Russell M. Nelson | “A New Normal”
“The challenge for you and me is to make certain that each of us will achieve his or her divine potential. Today we often hear about ‘a new normal.’ If you really want to embrace a new normal, I invite you to turn your heart, mind, and soul increasingly to our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. Let that be your new normal.”

Lead image: Intellectual Reserve, Inc. 

The General Conference Addresses Journal Edition will have all the text of the General Conference addresses from October 2020 in one spiral-bound paperback. Extra-wide, lined margins give you space to record your impressions and document insights you receive. The journal edition is now available for preorder and ships at the end of October.