Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Prophecy, Visions, and Revelation Received from General Conference in Spring 2009

In one of the comments for my last post, someone asked me what, of all that had been said, I would consider prophecy, visions, and revelation, since we listened to prophets, seers, and revelators. I thought this was an intriguing question, so I went through my notes and picked out some things.

Prophecy
The appetite for worldly things can only be overcome by turning to Christ (Robert D. Hales)
Miracles will occur when we eliminate error and sloth in priesthood quorums. (Michael A. Neider)
With a testimony, we will be independent of all worldly things (Allan F. Packer)
Strong Christians will be more needed in days ahead. (D. Todd Christofferson)
Power of godliness will flow into our lives as all ordinances endow us with power from on high. (D. Todd Christofferson)
The Holy Ghost bears witness and will put into our hearts what to say in hostile venues so that we are not confounded. (D. Todd Christofferson)
The Lord will rescue faithful disciples. (Henry B. Eyring)
Marriage needed for the highest celestial glory. (Richard G. Scott)
If we are living worthily, we have no need to complain about what is happening in our lives. (Richard G. Scott)
If we have kept our covenants, then come what may, we have no need to worry. (Richard G. Scott)
The gospel of Christ has the answers to all our problems and can bring true happiness. (Deiter F. Uchtdorf)
If we ever forget we are a “nobody”, the Lord will remind us of it unpleasantly. (Neil L. Anderson)
Keeping our covenants in these days will be a badge of honor throughout the eternities. (Neil L. Anderson)
The Lord will keep the church from being overthrown. (Neil L. Anderson)
The Lord is with us and will not forsake us. (Steven E. Snow)
Be fixed in your purpose, for Satan will try you. (Barbara Thompson)
The Lord will strengthen us as we seek to help people. (Barbara Thompson)
The Lord is with us and will stand by us (be of good cheer) (Thomas S. Monson)
Those who endure in faith, enduring the crosses of the world, will inherit eternal life. (Thomas S. Monson)
The future is as bright as our faith. (Thomas S. Monson)
Those who lose their lives will find them. (Dallen H. Oaks)
The Lord will show that His wisdom is greater than the cunning of the devil. (David A. Bednar)
Temple ordinances give protective power. (David A. Bednar)
No weapon formed against us shall prosper; no combination of wickedness shall have power to overcome us. (David A. Bednar)
The fire of the covenant will burn in the hearts of those who honorably hold a place and name in the temple. (David A. Bednar)
God will do nothing before he reveals his secrets to the prophets. (Jose A. Teixiera)
Whoever treasures up the word will not be deceived. (F. Michael Watson)
Search the commandments; the prophecies and promises in them will all be fulfilled. (F. Michael Watson)
We may not like the prophet’s message, but if we listen, the Lord will disperse the powers of darkness from before us. (Harold B. Lee as paraphrased by F. Michael Watson)
Open your mouth, and it shall be filled; spare not. (L. Tom Perry)
Even if you should labor all your days and only bring one, your joy will be great. (L. Tom Perry)

Visions
Priesthood quorems: 1) a class to learn the gospel 2) a brotherhood for lifting and encouraging 3) a service unit to bless others. (Michael A. Neider)
A deacon president counsels and teaches his quorum their duties. (Michael A. Neider)
Virtual tour of your home: How do you feel? Uplifting images? Orderly? Are scriptures found there? Do you have personal gospel study space? Does the entertainment you choose help you keep the Spirit? Do you have a place for personal prayer? Are there places for kind interaction? (Gary E. Stevenson)
Your house - A house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of order, a house of glory, a house of God. A spiritual mansion with treasure none can corrupt. (Gary E. Stevenson)

Revelation
Coveting gives away some of our agency. (Robert D. Hales)
Are we buying things because it makes us look like a good provider to the world? (Robert D. Hales)
Self-mastery feeds reverence. (Margaret S. Lifferth)
If there is a reverence problem with youth, there is a reverence problem with the ward. (Margaret S. Lifferth)
Pondering broadens and deepens our testimonies. (Allan F. Packer)
Obedience brings continual flow of blessings, which helps us act rather than be acted upon. (D. Todd Christofferson)
Obedience enhances our ability to deal with challenges. (D. Todd Christofferson)
The Lord suits the relief to the person in need (Henry B. Eyring)
If there is no repentance, there is no pride cycle, but instead a complete collapse. (M. Russell Ballard)
You don’t have to do evil to know that it is bad. (M. Russell Ballard)
Learning the past allows us to walk confidently in the light without having to stumble in the dark. (M. Russell Ballard)
Each generation can improve on the previous one’s righteousness. (M. Russell Ballard)
Faith is always given when righteousness is present; more obedience is needed for more faith. (Kevin W. Pearson)
Casualness keeps us from faith. (Kevin W. Pearson)
Faith can give enormous spiritual power. (Kevin W. Pearson)
Going to the temple often blesses us as much as making sacrifices to go from far away. (Richard G. Scott)
Having the Spirit is spiritual sustenance that can not be obtained any other way. (Russell M. Nelson)
Christ prays for us as our mediator in the intercessory prayer. (Russell M. Nelson)
The Lord accepts that which is enough happier than that which is too much and unnecessary. (Russell M. Nelson)
We need to participate; we can’t be spectator disciples; we can’t get blessings by observing the good that others do. (Deiter F. Uchtdorf)
Christ’s will to be faithful was invincible, even with none to uphold him. (Richard G. Scott)
There is a gap in progression between those who choose to have children and those who choose not to. (Dallen H. Oaks)
A selfish person becomes disconnected from the covenants, but when we love and serve one another, we become connected to our covenants and to each other. (Dallen H. Oaks)
Gathering sheaves into the garners means to gather new members into the temples
(Alma 26:5-6) (David A. Bednar)
Consequences of our choices may not appear immediately. (Jose A. Teixiera)
Keeping the commandments helps us keep a strong signal with the divine. (Jose A. Teixiera)
Member-oriented missionary work is best. (l. Tom Perry)

Instructions that stand out to me:
Find strength in covenants. (D. Todd Christofferson)
Be transformed by making righteous choices when it is hard to do. (D. Todd Christofferson)
Everyone must help those in need or they are hypocrites and their faith is vain. (Henry B. Eyring)
Be disciples of Christ even when it is lonely and with courage. (Richard G. Scott)
Be witnesses of Christ even unto death, even when alone. (Richard G. Scott)
Turn your thoughts from your troubles, focus on blessings as members of the church. (Thomas S. Monson)
Make the gospel the center of our lives; this will pull us through. (Thomas S. Monson)
Focus on being worthy to enter and reenter the temple (David A. Bednar)
Use more leisure time to go to the temple. (Gary E. Stevenson)
We should help the missionariers by doing the finding. (L. Tom Perry
Pray always to not enter temptation. (Thomas S. Monson)

5 comments:

Jared said...

That's a great list of quotes; thanks for sharing them.

Anonymous said...

"Pray always to not enter temptation" Do you read the scriptures?

Anonymous said...

"Having the Spirit is spiritual sustenance that can not be obtained any other way" This is revelation? What does it even mean?

Michaela Stephens said...

Anonymous, having the Spirit feeds our own spirit in a way that can't be done other ways.

Maybe this seems obvious to you. Or maybe you don't understand it. But simple statements like this encourage pondering. To assert it takes spiritual authority, therefore it requires revelation.

Michaela Stephens said...

Anonymous, if you notice, the statements under the "prophecy" heading contain promises of what will happen if we do something. These can be considered prophecy to the extent that they predict what will happen. I could have called them "promises" and that would do just as well. Whether they are repeated in earlier years or later years confirms that they are still points that need emphasis.

You seem to be frustrated with my statement about how Thomas S. Monson said praying always would help us resist temptation. If you notice, the heading for that section is "Instructions that stand out to me." These were instructions that had particular meaning for my life based on that time. Yes, I read the scriptures, but I felt the need to pray more.

Also, Anonymous, consider this a warning to not engage in name-calling or disrespectful language. Asking, "Are you an idiot?!" is not a good way to start a productive conversation.