Wednesday, October 6, 2010

October 2010 General Conference Counsel

Here is a list of counsel given during General Conference by the First Presidency and the Twelve Apostles with a few extra notes of counsel following. A more personal note on General Conference to follow soon:

Thomas S. Monson• Continue to faithfully attend the temple.
• Every worthy, able young man should prepare to serve a full-time mission.
• Prepare for service to the Lord.
• Stay worthy.
• Maintain your health and strength.
• Attend seminary/institute.
• Study Preach my Gospel.
• Keep the commandments 100% of the time. It’s easier than doing so 98% of the time.
• Give thanks for all of the blessings you receive from God.
• Don’t focus on what you don’t have…focus on what you do have.
• Don’t wait until it’s too late to express gratitude to loved ones.
• Frequently express your gratitude…especially to those you love the most.
• When things are difficult, think of your blessings.
• Always reflect on your gratitude for the Savior.
• Follow Christ and emulate His perfect example of gratitude.

Dieter F. Uchtdorf
• Resist the temptation to get caught up in the franticness of everyday life.
• Simplify your life by slowing down and focusing on what matters most.
• Spend time alone with God in order to strengthen your relationship with Him.
• Be sensitive to others’ needs and serve them.
• Don’t criticize or belittle yourself.
• Get to know yourself better so you can see yourself as God sees you.
• Don’t be concerned with self-gratification in your callings from the Lord.
• Roll up your sleeves and help to prepare the world for the Second Coming. The work of the gospel is not about you.
• Don’t beat yourself up or withhold your talents in the name of humility. That is not humility.
• Think less about yourself, not less of yourself.
• Don’t complain when you are serving in “lesser” callings or tasks. Remember that you are tools in God’s hands.
• Reach out to serve rather than seeking recognition and praise of man.

Henry B. Eyring
• Do whatever is required to qualify for the Holy Ghost and then do whatever the Lord asks you to do.
• Never miss an opportunity take upon yourself the name of Christ through the sacrament.
• Be humble and recognize your need for the Holy Ghost.
• Pray for manifestations of the Holy Ghost in your service and for those you serve.
• Read, study, and ponder the words of Christ. Those are three different, distinct things.
• Magnify your calling by performing the service that pertains to it.
• Show your trust for God by showing Him your intent to learn and then go and do.

Boyd K. Packer
• Study the Family Proclamation as a revelation from God.
• Pay attention when God says, “Thou shalt…” or “Thou shalt not…”
• If you are bound by addiction, you must stop. Angels will coach you and priesthood leaders will guide you.
• You need to know that forgiveness means forgiveness. Forgive yourself.
• Once you’ve repented, don’t look back like Lot’s wife did.
• Delete from your mind any unclean thought that comes.

L. Tom Perry
• Follow the Holy Ghost and honor your priesthood. You will have access to the ministering of angels.
• Parents and Bishops: Teach Aaronic Priesthood holders their duties and the doctrine of the priesthood.
• Build your lives on a foundation of truth.
• Priesthood holders: Determine a day that you will honor your priesthood, advance in each quorum, prepare for the Melchizedek Priesthood, and prepare for full-time missionary service.

Russell M. Nelson
• Be an example of the believers in Christ.
• Every worthy, able young man should prepare to serve a full-time mission.
• Prepare to serve now by living with purity and doing good things.
• All members of the Church should prepare themselves to share the gospel with others.
• After you have had a gospel conversation, take the next step by inviting your friends to church.
• Reach out to those you don’t know.
• Every Sunday, find somebody that you don’t know at church and reach out to them.
• Invite others to prayerfully read the Book of Mormon.
• Explain that the Book of Mormon is not a novel or a history book, but a book of scripture that will bring them closer to God.
• Invite your friends to meet with the missionaries.
• Use Internet resources like Mormon.org to share the gospel.

Dallin H. Oaks
• All should be familiar with and use your two lines of communication with God: Personal line and Priesthood line.
• Don’t rely on priesthood leaders to make personal decisions for you.
• Don’t let your personal line of communication with God function independently from the priesthood line.
• You can’t communicate through your personal line if you are disobedient to the priesthood line.
• Don’t let the priesthood line supersede your need for a personal line.
• The priesthood line can’t function fully without your personal obedience.
Keep a healthy balance in relying on both the personal line and the priesthood line of communication with God.

M. Russell Ballard
• Stay away from Satan’s lures. He will try to enslave us.
• Carefully follow doses prescribed by doctors when taking prescription medications. Keep these out of the reach of others.
• Don’t relinquish your agency in any area—drugs, video games, texting, gambling, pornography.
• Escape addiction by fervently praying.
• Use priesthood leaders, professional help to assist you in overcoming.

Richard G. Scott
• Trust in God and His ability to provide you with help.
• Obey the commandments.
• Be sensitive to and apply the promptings from the Holy Ghost.
• Be patient in your faith.
• Be thankful that God sometimes allows you to struggle. It helps your faith to grow.
• Four principles for you to follow: Faith, Repentance, Obedience, Selfless Service.
• Always try to make decisions that will fortify your character.

Robert D. Hales
• Come back and repent when you find yourself limited in choices because of unrighteous behavior.
• Follow God now just like you did in the pre-mortal world.

David A. Bednar
• Desire, seek, work, and live so you can receive the Holy Ghost.
• Three keys to receiving the Holy Ghost:
• Desire – Don’t be distracted by the cares of the world or daily routines.
• Invite – Make and keep covenants, participate in Scripture Study, Family Home Evening, keep good family relationships, think virtuous thoughts, worship God at home, church, and the temple.
• Obey – Do things like temple, church, scriptures, prayers, service, obedience. These things are not isolated tasks that w should randomly do. They are all designed to help us receive the companionship of the Holy Ghost.

Quentin L. Cook
• Do your best to preserve light and gospel values in your home and family.
• Cultivate consistent religious observance in your home—Family Home Evening, scripture study, prayers.
• Don’t let destructive influences interfere with your family life.
• Be a good influence to those in your community.
• Live these two principles: Honesty and respect for others.
• Don’t let your voice be silent. Be a light to the world.

D. Todd Christofferson
Become a consecrated member of the Church by doing these five things:
• Purity (Repent, do all God requires, put off the natural man).
• Labor (All honest work is from God. Develop strong work habits. Work to enjoy wholesome leisure activities).
• Respect for body (Don’t disfigure, debilitate, or defile your body with tattoos, drugs, or immorality).
• Service (Be about Heavenly Father’s business. Develop a listening ear for service opportunities from the Spirit).
• Integrity (Don’t take advantage of other people. Live your life with complete honesty).

Neil L. Andersen
• Try to obtain the believing heart of a child—become submissive, meek, patient, humble, full of love, and willing to submit.
• You need to develop deep roots in your testimony so when troubles come upon you or you are mocked for your beliefs you won’t fall.
• Don’t compare what we are to be with what those who haven’t made covenants are to be. “Where much is given, much is required.”
• Nourish your testimony so it can keep you safe.

Other important counsel
• Follow the prophet.
• Choose to have faith. Don’t doubt things you don’t understand.
• Don’t respond with laziness or rebelliousness when it comes to living the gospel.
• Make your home a place where the Spirit can dwell.
• Read For the Strength of the Youth and have meaningful discussions with your family about the principles inside.
• Make sure that the media you use is consistent with gospel principles.
• Don’t purchase clothing that is too tight, sheer, or revealing.
• Parents should not be afraid to say no to their children, let them stay out too late, be cautious about sleepovers, and not let children stay out too late.
• Beware of things that could destroy you from the inside-out.
• If something is right, do it. If it’s wrong, don't do it.

What was your personal favorite talk?
What goals do you have to follow the counsel given?

3 comments:

Okie said...

Dang...nice job compiling such a cool list. I love this. Thanks. :)

alpinekleins said...

Awesome conference wrap up! So glad I stumbled upon it. I'll link to you list if you don't mind.

Kristin

Chad Banks said...

Wow, awesome compilation!

You can also find quotes categorized by topic of the October 2010 conference at http://conference.zzl.org

There is also a list of speakers, word occurrences, photos, scriptures referenced and games.

It's a great site for talks, lessons and personal study.