“Of course it’s hard. Everything to do with becoming more like the Savior is difficult. The Lord loves effort, because effort brings rewards that can’t come without it.
Recently, we had the opportunity to watch General Conference. Last year, President Nelson had announced that this April conference would be unique and special.
While I think many of us expected it to be different, I don’t think anyone expected such a unique event. Who would have guessed that it would be entirely remote or that it would happen in the middle of the trying times surrounding COVID-19.
The truly miraculous thing is that April General Conference was as normal as it was despite the near entire pausing of society due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the differences in being entirely remote and having a greater focus on the Restoration, a lot about conference was blessedly regular.
There were a lot of great talks shared in conference with a lot of guidance for each of us. The question we must each ask ourselves is “What guidance from conference will I put into action in my life?”
What Did You Take Away From Conference?
The purpose of this and every general conference is to help us to hear Him. We have prayed, and invite you to pray, that the Spirit of the Lord will be with us in such rich abundance that you can hear the messages that the Savior has especially for you—messages that will bring peace to your soul. Messages that will heal your broken heart. Messages that will illuminate your mind. Messages that will help you know what to do as you move ahead through times of turmoil and trial.
The most important lasting effects of this historic conference will be as our hearts change and we commence a lifelong quest to hear Him.
So, what guidance did you receive from April conference? What things are you changing in your life because of what you learned and the promptings you received from the Holy Ghost?
When we hear messages from conference it is very easy to simply be consumers of the messages. It is easy to listen to conference and talk about how great it was. It is much harder to put what we learn into action. Whether it is the gospel or a self-help book or any other source of inspiration and wisdom, it is super easy to hear something, nod our heads in agreement and then carry on without making any changes in our lives.
But when we do that, what is the point of having heard? What is the point of general conference if it does not lead us to change in a positive way?
We must strive to be like the people of King Benjamin. When he taught them, they not only desired to change, they let their desired allow their hearts to be changed. They started to live what they had been taught.
If you haven’t had the opportunity to do so yet, take the time to consider the messages from conference. How will you let the truths you learned change your daily life?
Lessons I Learned From Conference
As I have pondered conference, there are three basic messages that I was profoundly with.
1. Put The Gospel Into Action In Your Own Life
Let us put our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ into action!
One of the messages I was impressed with the need for each of us to truly put the gospel into action in our daily lives. From the new focus on Come Follow Me and home-centered worship to President Nelson’s teachings on repentance and calls for global fasts for help against COVID-19, we have all been repeatedly invited to put the gospel into action in our own lives.
Long gone it seems are the days when we might have felt going to Church on Sunday was the the primary activity required to be a great member of the Church. In saying that I know that we have all always been taught that there is much more to being a great member of the Church. Over the past few years though, there has been much more focus on taking personal responsibility for our discipleship and worship.
We have been asked to put the gospel into action in our lives, and to let it be a powerful part of everything we do.
2. Strengthen Your Gospel Foundation
How could this extensive renewal of the Salt Lake Temple inspire us to undergo our own spiritual renewal, reconstruction, rebirth, revitalization, or restoration?
If we are going to have the strength to weather the trying times in which we live, we need to have a solid gospel foundation. Not only are we in difficult times now, but none of us know what challenges the future will bring. But we can all trust that at some time in the future, we will have a trial of faith.
We never know what shape our trials will take. For some it might be illness. For others it might be financial struggles. And for others, it may even be success. Whatever trials may come our way, we will need the gospel to help us overcome them.
Now is the time for us to build a strong gospel foundation that can sustain us come what may.
3. Learn How To Seek And Receive Personal Revelation
When we seek to hear—truly hear—His Son, we will be guided to know what to do in any circumstance.
In order to have meaningful worship and build a solid gospel foundation, we need to know how to seek and receive personal revelation.
We all have different challenges, struggles, and stewardships and we all live in very different circumstances. If we are to know what the Lord needs us to do, we need to learn how to hear Him. We need to understand how to feel and follow the guidance of the Holy Ghost.
In the scriptures we are taught that the Holy Ghost will teach us all things that we need to do. If we are to know what we need to do, we need to know how to listen the the Spirit.
The 80/20 Rule
80% of the results come from 20% of the causes. A few things are important; most are not.
As I have pondered about the messages from conference it has brought many thoughts to my mind. I have been thinking about the 80/20 rule and how it relates to our efforts to live the gospel.
The 80/20 rule, also known as the Perato Principle, states that 80% of results come from 20% of our efforts. In pretty much every endeavor, there are some activities that are more valuable than others. Research has shown that typically there are 20% of the activities that lead to 80% of the results. This holds true whether you are looking at business, personal growth, or gospel living.
There are always a lot of activities you can spend your time and effort on. There are a few things however that will lead to the biggest effects. When we can’t do everything, it can be very valuable to determine the few things that are most important. By finding the most important things we can focus our energy on activities that will have the greatest effect.
As we work to more fully live the gospel, we can use the 80/20 rule to focus our efforts on the truly essential activities that will bring the biggest results in our lives.
What Is Your 20%?
When we seek to hear—truly hear—His Son, we will be guided to know what to do in any circumstance.
As we seek to be disciples of Jesus Christ, our efforts to hear Him need to be ever more intentional. It takes conscious and consistent effort to fill our daily lives with His words, His teachings, His truths.
We can seek the Lord’s help in determining what 20% of practices and activities will lead the the biggest spiritual blessings in our individual lives.
Fortunately for each of us, we have been given countless directions over the years to help us know what the most important things are. Here are a few of those teachings.
We should begin by recognizing the reality that just because something is good is not a sufficient reason for doing it. The number of good things we can do far exceeds the time available to accomplish them. Some things are better than good, and these are the things that should command priority attention in our lives.
We all have many options available to us each and every day. One the the biggest challenges we have is to choose truly valuable activities over other activities that are merely good. This exemplifies the 80/20 rule very well. Undoubtedly, some the 80% of low value activities that we could spend time on are not “bad” things. They just aren’t the “best” things we could do.
There is nothing wrong with hobbies or church planning meetings or even recently discontinued programs like Boy Scouts. But those activities, while serving some purpose, are not the best and most important activities.
The most important activities are those that will truly bring the power of the gospel to life in our homes. These activities will build our testimonies into solid gospel foundations, and bring us closer to our Heavenly Father in significant ways.
The only things that really need to be accomplished in the home are daily scripture study and prayer and weekly family home evening.
When it comes to living the gospel in our homes there are a few activities that are absolutely critical. Personal and family scripture study, especially study of Come Follow Me, personal and family prayer, and Family Home Evening are all critical in turning our homes and our lives into sanctuaries of faith.
The journey of discipleship is not an easy one. It has been called a “course of steady improvement.” As we travel along that strait and narrow path, the Spirit continually challenges us to be better and to climb higher. The Holy Ghost makes an ideal traveling companion. If we are humble and teachable, He will take us by the hand and lead us home.
Every one of us, if we would reach perfection, must [at] one time ask ourselves this question, ‘What lack I yet?’
As mentioned before, we all have different challenges and trials. We also all have different weaknesses. One of the most beautiful truths of the gospel is that it can be immediately valuable to each one of us regardless of where we are in our personal spiritual journey.
No matter who you are or where you are spiritually, the Lord can help you know what steps you need to take to draw nearer to Him.
When we humbly ask the Lord “What lack I, yet?” and listen to the guidance of the Spirit, the Lord will guide us. He will help you know what you need to do to draw nearer to Him.
When we do our best to follow the guidance we receive, we can see massive and real spiritual growth and power come into our lives.
We don’t need to worry about trying to do everything. We don’t need to run faster than we have strength. But we do need to be diligent and do the most important things.
Using Your 20% To Bless Your Life
The purpose of this and every general conference is to help us to hear Him. We have prayed, and invite you to pray, that the Spirit of the Lord will be with us in such rich abundance that you can hear the messages that the Savior has especially for you—messages that will bring peace to your soul. Messages that will heal your broken heart. Messages that will illuminate your mind. Messages that will help you know what to do as you move ahead through times of turmoil and trial.
The most important lasting effects of this historic conference will be as our hearts change and we commence a lifelong quest to hear Him.
So, the real question for each of us is how will we let the historic April Conference lift our lives? I felt very impressed that the Lord is trying to help us put the gospel into action in our own lives, strengthen our personal gospel foundation and to learn to hear His voice. I am going to spend the next few posts investigating each of these different topics.
As you do your best to find the most important things we need to do in your life, the Lord will help lead you and guide you on the straight and narrow path. He wants you to find your way back to your heavenly home and will do all He can to help you get there.
So have faith and don’t worry about trying to do everything. Take the time to find your most important things. Find the best things. Ask the Lord to help you know what you need to focus on. As you do, I know the Lord will give you the help you need to draw closer to Him.
Ready To Be Better?
If you want to overcome your weaknesses and draw closer to Jesus Christ, check out my free guide called: “Daily Closer to Jesus Christ Checklist”