117- 5/27/25 Spiritual confidence

 Spiritual Confidence

Hello Family,

It’s been almost two months now since General Conference, and I wanted to go back and revisit President Nelson’s prophetic counsel to us. As I’ve studied his words it amazes me that this simple teaching of scripture can be so impactful in our lives if we seek to “hear” what is being taught. 

My invitation today is two fold. First, take time this week to listen and study the words of our prophet from this past conference. Secondly, accept his invitation given in his message: “I invite you to take intentional steps to grow in your confidence before the Lord.” Maybe journal what these “intentional steps” are for you.

The trials and challenges that we each face can “knock our self-confidence”, and leave us feeling weak and vulnerable, stressed and frustrated, hurt and doubting, and a range of other feelings. The prophet teaches us how we can regain our spiritual confidence as we approach our Heavenly Father and Savior for their needed help.

President Nelson quoted the 121st section of the Doctrine and Covenants: “The Lord told the Prophet Joseph Smith that our confidence can “wax strong in the presence of God.” 

He further explained this kind of confidence, and how we can identify and apply it in our lives. “When I speak of having confidence before God, I am referring to having confidence in approaching God right now! I am referring to praying with confidence that Heavenly Father hears us, that He understands our needs better than we do. I am referring to having confidence that He loves us more than we can comprehend, that He sends angels to be with us and with those we love. I am referring to having confidence that He yearns to help each of us reach our highest potential.”

President Nelson goes on to teach us that charity and virtue are what bring us this confidence. 

Regarding charity he said, “As charity becomes part of our nature, we will lose the impulse to demean others. We will stop judging others. We will have charity for those from all walks of life. Charity towards all men is essential to our progress. Charity is the foundation of a godly character.”

Good practice for this teaching can be found in our home, where we remind each other to be kind, and to be builders. To avoid making light of others who have values that are different from our own. I like how the prophet encompasses everyone in “all walks of life”. He taught: ”Let us plead with our Heavenly Father to fill our hearts with greater charity—especially for those who are difficult to love—for charity is a gift from our Heavenly Father for true followers of Jesus Christ. The Savior is the Prince of Peace. We are to be His instruments for peace.”

The Second Christlike attribute that the prophet emphasized was virtue. Having virtue in all our thoughts. He said, “Imagine the boost you will receive to any positive thought when you enhance it with virtue. Virtue makes everything better and happier! “

“On the other hand, imagine what will happen when you add virtue to an impure thought, a cruel thought, or a depressing thought. Virtue will drive away those thoughts. Virtue will free you from anxious, troublesome thoughts.”

President Nelson closes with his testimony of power we can access in the temples to help us gain this confidence. 

We can at times make our temple attendance routine, telling ourselves we need to get there “this week”, and check it off of the list of good things to do. But our prophet is teaching us that if we approach the temple in a true spirit of worship,  this confidence that he is referring to will increase in our lives. We will noticeably see ourselves being more kind and gentle with each other. We’ll be able to more quickly put off any negative or inappropriate thought as we let virtue take hold of our minds. Our character and nature will become more Christlike, ultimately preparing us for the Savior’s return. Listen to the words of President Nelson.

“Regular worship in the house of the Lord increases our capacity for both virtue and charity. Thus, time in the temple increases our confidence before the Lord. Increased time in the temple will help us prepare for the Second Coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We do not know the day or the hour of His coming. But I do know that the Lord is prompting me to urge us to get ready for that “great and dreadful day.”

I really loved how simple and powerful our prophet’s message was. It is something that we all can apply today, with the ability to measure our progress each night as we kneel in prayer. I encourage each of us to hear and follow this powerful prophetic teaching!

Love,

Dad